Which of the two public projects on Hamlin Groves Trail is actually finished? Most people would say the park. It covers 215 acres, and the County hosted its grand opening in February. But the newer building on that street is the one that arrived complete. The park is still waiting on the splash pad, the kayak launch and the market lawn it was promised.
Orange County Library System opened its Horizon West Branch at 4657 Hamlin Groves Trail on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. OCLS counted more than 1,000 people at the ribbon cutting. Horizon West Regional Park, a short walk away at 4715 Hamlin Groves Trail, opened its first phase eight months earlier. Together they make up one civic campus. Right now the library is the part doing most of the outdoor work the park was expected to do.
Two Openings, Eight Months Apart
The two projects ran on parallel tracks, and both took longer than first planned.
| Horizon West Regional Park | Horizon West Branch Library | |
|---|---|---|
| Earliest milestone | Site opened December 2010 for horseback riding and hiking | Construction budget approved April 11, 2024 |
| Groundbreaking | February 2024, Phase 1A | November 13, 2024 |
| Opened | February 16, 2026, Phase 1A | October 10, 2026 |
| Public money | $15.6 million, Phase 1A | $27.275 million total construction budget |
| Still to come | Phase 1B and Phase 2, no firm dates | Nothing announced |
Both sources describe these figures as budgets, not final costs. Together they come to nearly $43 million in public construction committed in 2024 for one short stretch of road, and both projects opened in 2026. The library's original target was completion in late 2025. As of May 2026, OCLS had still not set an opening date. The October 10 date was announced on September 22. The County's February press release says Phase 1A went mostly into infrastructure: an access road, utilities, parking, restrooms, a trail, an event pavilion and an inclusive playground built for children of all abilities.
That list explains the rest of this post. The park's first phase built the foundation. Most of the features that make a park a place to linger were pushed to later phases.
The Library Brought Its Own Outdoors
Much of what the branch offers is outside the building. OCLS lists these outdoor features on the branch's About page:
- An outdoor performance area
- A Florida-friendly garden
- A StoryWalk®, which spreads a book along a walking route
- A percussion path lined with musical instruments
- Flexible spaces for learning, creativity and community gatherings
Compare that with what the park has open today: the playground, the pavilion, the restrooms, the trail and the equestrian trail, plus picnic areas with grills. The two lists hardly overlap. The park offers room to run, ride and picnic. The library adds the smaller, structured outdoor pieces: a garden to walk through, a path that makes noise, a story to follow and a stage. Taken together, the stretch of Hamlin Groves Trail now covers more than either site could alone.
Indoors, the branch has 20,000 square feet, and OCLS calls it one of the largest libraries in the system. The West Orange Times & Observer preview said the branch would offer 45,000 books and two classrooms. On Sept. 24, OCLS posted a time-lapse video on its Horizon West updates page showing those books going onto the shelves. Two study rooms seat four people each, and the building also has three meeting rooms the public can book. OCLS also lists free Wi-Fi, public computers, self-service printing, scanning and faxing, and MAYL delivery. MAYL means you can request items from any OCLS location and have them sent to your home or held for pickup.
The Media Lab Math
The Media Lab is the feature most likely to bring adults back on a regular basis. It seats four and has a green screen, lighting, microphones, and software for video, audio and photo editing. Under OCLS's Media Lab terms, your first three-hour session each day is free and each additional session costs $25.
The lab keeps slightly shorter hours than the building, so plan around them:
| Day | Branch hours | Media Lab hours |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 1 to 6 p.m. | 1:15 to 5:30 p.m. |
| Monday to Thursday | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 10:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. |
| Friday and Saturday | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 10:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
The branch hours also matter for the park. Orange County lists the park's winter hours as 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Monday through Thursday, the library stays open an hour past that. On a weeknight after the playground closes, the library is still open on Hamlin Groves Trail.
What's on the Calendar From Here
The branch has been open for less than two weeks, and its calendar is already full. These dated listings come from the OCLS events calendar for Horizon West. Several October sessions were already marked full when the calendar was captured, so check before you go.
- Friday, Oct. 23: Build & Perfect Your Resume, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., then Search & Apply for Jobs, 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 24: Macramé – Pumpkin Wrap, 10:30 a.m. to noon, and Adult Art Expressions, 1 to 2:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 25: Family Fun: Design a Haunted House, 2 to 3 p.m., and Fiber Arts Open Studio, 2 to 4:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 1: LEGO® Education Spike™ Prime: Science & Engineering, 2 to 3 p.m., and Sewing - Fabric Bookmarks - Beginner Level, 2 to 4 p.m. Both require registration.
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: Adult Chess, 5 to 6 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Puppet Boot Camp, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., registration required.
- Monday, Dec. 7: Dungeons & Dragons, 4:30 to 6 p.m., registration required.
- Wednesday, Dec. 30: Family Fiber Arts: New Year's Wish Wands, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., registration required.
Wednesday mornings follow a set sequence. On Nov. 4, for example, Preschool Tales starts at 10:15, Toddler Tales at 10:45, Baby Tales at 11:15 and Baby Play & Connect at 11:35. None of the four showed a registration prompt. The last session ends late in the morning. That leaves the rest of the day for the inclusive playground next door, which opens at 8 a.m.
What the Park Still Owes
The library is done. The park is not, and the remaining pieces are the ones people tend to ask about.
The County's February 2026 release describes Phase 1B as a $7 million package. It includes a splash pad, farmers-market hookups and a kayak and canoe launch, all chosen as priorities through community surveys. The release said construction was "expected to begin soon" but gave no start or finish date. In November 2025, the West Orange Times & Observer reported on the County Commission's approval of the phase. That article described a longer list: sidewalks, more parking, a third picnic shelter, a west-side pavilion, a floating dock and an open lawn for markets and community events. It put the budget at $5 million and projected completion in 2027 or 2028. The two sources give different budgets, and neither gives a firm construction schedule. Treat any splash-pad date you hear as speculation until the County announces one.
The same Observer report outlines Phase 2: an art stage with open-air green space, a dog park, baseball and softball fields, pickleball, tennis and basketball courts, disc golf, fitness stations and a botanical garden. No completion date was reported.
That puts the library's outdoor features in context. The park's art stage and botanical garden are both on the Phase 2 list with no dates. Next door, the library already has a working outdoor performance area and a Florida-friendly garden. Until the park's later phases are built, the closest thing Hamlin Groves Trail has to an outdoor stage and a garden sits beside the library.
My family has watched a lot of West Orange land change hands and change shape over five generations. Public places like these tend to last longer than almost anything else built around them. If you want to talk about how projects like the Horizon West Branch and the regional park's later phases fit into the area's longer story, Andy Williams is glad to compare notes. Let's Connect.
