A new library branch for the Hamilton Mill area moved a step closer Tuesday when the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners awarded a nearly $400,000 design and construction administration contract to Precision Planning, Inc., funded partially by SPLOST at a $5 million cost.

The facility will house up to 75,000 books, audiovisual materials and other items for circulation. It will include reading and quiet study areas, adult, teen and children's collections, and information and circulation desks plus employee offices and work areas.

Gwinnett's 15th full-service branch library will be built at the intersection of Braselton Highway (Georgia Highway 124) and Pine Road, sharing an entrance with the new Duncan Creek Park that is slated to open next spring. Library construction should begin late next year with expected completion about a year later.

The design is expected to meet LEED energy-efficiency standards and will include an Art-In-Architecture feature where an artist's input to an element of the building will incorporate an artistic vision implemented in construction.