One Aiken County library is expanding, and one will relocate to a new building.
The Nancy Bonnette Branch Library in Wagener will essentially double its size under the expansion plans currently on the table, and the New Ellenton Branch Library will move into a new building that is four times larger than its current site after construction is completed.
Both projects were included on the list for funding from the second round of the local option sales tax.
Mary Jo Dawson, director of the Aiken-Bamberg-Barnwell-Edgefield (ABBE) Regional Library System, said the expansion and relocation will provide more room for the libraries' material collections and computer service areas as well as more staff room, which are all needed.
The projected cost for the library in Wagener to expand is $285,000.
The projected cost for the library to move in New Ellenton is $465,000.
"We've had this on our list of things to do for a while," Dawson said.
Last week, Aiken County Council approved staff's recommendation of hiring architects Craig, Gaulden and Davis Inc. to oversee both projects.
Dawson said the firm has a great reputation in the state, having designed libraries before.
"We should start meeting with the architects in the very near future," Dawson said.
In the case of the New Ellenton Branch Library, it will pack up and move across Highway 19 near the town hall on land donated by the Town of New Ellenton.
Its current building is 500 square feet. The new building will be about 2,200 square feet.
"We would also like to have a small meeting room for children's programs," Dawson said. "It's going to be a big plus. A lot of folks are discovering the New Ellenton library as they drive to and from the Savannah River Site."
New Ellenton Mayor Vernon Dunbar said he hopes to see construction start on the new library around the start of 2010.
"We really have needed a larger library for some time. It will be a boost to the community," he said. "We will be able to accommodate more things in a larger library.
"We will share with the architects the town's master plan and see how the library will fit into that."
The New Ellenton Branch Library was donated to the town for use as a library in 1960, having first served as a private residence. The Nancy Bonnette Branch Library was built by Aiken County and opened in 1988.
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Comment Title: To:Concerned
What are talking about? Your comment makes no sense related to the library topic.
Posted by: Concerned On: 10/28/2009
Comment Title: SRS gets unfair share
Why is it that SRS sucks down all the money and everything else, like libraries and education, gets the crumbs? Just who is making all the money from the billions that go to SRS? This picture needs to be reversed.
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