“Phase 2 will start probably in mid to late summer,” Bloomington Library Director Jeanne Hamilton told Cities 92.9. Currently the library services are taking place in the east side of the building while the west side of the building is being renovated and expanded. And so once that renovation and expansion is finished we will flip flop. So the library services will move to the western portion of the building and then the renovation will take place on the eastern side.”
At Tuesday’s board meeting the Library approved $1.8 million for furnishings for the new library. Those furnishings include everything you see in libraries such as desks, furniture and shelving.
We asked Hamilton about the impact of construction on providing services.
“We are trying to offer all the services we have,” Hamilton said. “We have packed away a portion of our collection. But we are able to get almost anything through interlibrary loan. Sometimes that takes a little bit longer than people have been used to in the past. But it’s still a really quick service. And so we are providing everything that people are wanting right now.”
Cities asked Hamilton about the $3.2 million proposed revenue increase in the 2023/24 general fund budget for the library and she said, “the state grants are paid out at 30% of the way through the project, 60% of the way, 90% and 100%.”
So most of that increase in revenue is pass through money coming from the state that will be used to pay for construction.
The Bloomington Library Expansion Project is projected to cost $25.2 million. $14.1 million is being funded by the City of Bloomington. The State of Illinois is contributing $5.7 million. Also the Library Reserve fund is providing $4.1 million and community donations will fund $1.3 million.
Plans include adding 21.3 thousand square feet to the library’s current footprint and renovating 57.4 thousand square feet of existing space. The library also plans to add new labs.
