After a joint discussion Thursday about the potential for a new shared City Hall and library building, library board members shared they are prioritizing the purchase of the old quilt store instead.
City Manager Kevyn Gero, Mayor Tim Reazin, Library Board President Kenny Massey, board member Eric Magette and Library Director Carol Wohlford were in attendance for the conversation.
The city had previously expressed interest in a collaborative building for the city and library on the land owned by the library across from its current location. A letter from the city was delivered to the board last month to further conversation about the building.
However, the library has been pursuing the possibility of purchasing the old quilt store building at 736 Main St. for several months, and will continue to make that its priority for now, Massey said Friday.
Massey said although the door was not completely closed on the possibility to collaborate with the city, the board is more interested in continuing to explore the Main Street building for now.
He said the library board has been working on moving the process forward, and has been working with an architect on a draft floor plan. They’ve had the roof inspected and have been in contact with a commercial real estate agent, he said.
“I think it’s important to say that we didn’t shut the door to ever continuing communication with the city, just in the event that 736 Main doesn’t happen,” he said.
Because the library is not a commercial business, there are different rules for the number of parking spots required for the location. The library may need to apply for a variance for the parking regulations, which would then need to go to the Planning Commission for approval.
The architect will soon send the floor plans to the city and will then set up a pre-planning meeting to discuss codes and ordinances related to parking and fire suppression.
Assistant City Manager Zack Daniel said the city will work to pursue a new City Hall building at some point. There is nothing imminent on the horizon yet, but Daniel said he expects it will be a discussion over the next year or two.
