Only library in Gila Bend closing after local school district ends agreement with county

PHOENIX – The only library in Gila Bend is closing after serving the southwest Maricopa County town for over 30 years.

The Gila Bend Library is located on the Gila Bend Unified School District (GBUSD) campus at 777 N. Logan Ave. The school district owns the building, but the Maricopa County Library District (MCLD) operates the library.

However, GBUSD recently terminated the operating agreement and told MCLD it has to vacate the 8,600-square-foot facility by the end of June.

May 22 will be the library’s last day. MCLD staff will work with partners to wind down operations in the coming weeks.

Residents of Gila Bend, a town about 70 miles southwest of downtown Phoenix, will still be able to use MCLD’s online resources.

Why is Gila Bend Library closing?

“My understanding is they plan to repurpose the building, though I’m not sure how it could possibly be put to better use for the community,” Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas Galvin said in a press release Monday.

According to county officials, GBUSD cited the increasing costs of maintaining the property — specifically heating and cooling needs – as the reason for closing the library.

“It’s strange they claim maintenance costs as a reason for ending our partnership, yet they are also planning to repurpose the building for a different use, which will involve those same maintenance costs,” Supervisor Steve Gallardo, who represents District 5, which includes Gila Bend, said in the release. “I just don’t get it.”

When did Gila Bend Library open?

The Gila Bend Library opened in 1983 at a building down the street from the current location. It moved to the GBUSD campus in 2021 after Maricopa County spent over $550,000 on renovations.

The library served over 43,000 visitors last year, administering 61 library programs for adults and teens and providing workforce development services to 64 people, according to the county.

“In big and small ways, we’ve been making life better for Gila Bend residents,” MCLD Director Jeremy Reeder said in the release. “It’s a shame it’s all coming to an end.”

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