Olney Community Library and Arts Center awarded grant for renovations

Perry’s Foundation has awarded a grant to Olney Community Library and Arts Center to assist with the bathroom renovations. Director Lori Cox said that they are hoping to start the improvements within the next two months.

“Between the Perry Foundation grant, other grants received and the fundraising efforts, we met the Phase 1 goal for renovation for the library’s restroom,” Cox said.

Phase One renovation will cover the cost for a complete overhaul of the restrooms in the main library from floor to ceiling, including new floors, stalls, toilets, sinks and lighting. Bundy, Young, Sims and Potter will manage the project.

With such a massive capital project, it may be challenging to prioritize renovations and construction. Cox said they knew where they would start.

“We felt that the first thing that needed updating in the building was the restrooms because we needed to bring them up to ADA and TAS code. We have one restroom in the building that is up to these codes but needed the others to be the same. It is important to the board to be able to serve all the needs of our patrons,” Cox explained.

It is not too late to be part of the improvements at the library. Phase two improvements are not far away. The library is a 501(c)(3) organization and donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. You may drop off checks payable to Olney Community Library in person or by clicking the donate tab on their website: http://olneylibrary.webstarts.com/index.html

Cox shared what is next for the library, “We will begin planning fundraisers for Phase two later this spring. We are looking forward to another Facebook auction and some other fun things.”

Cox concluded with a statement of gratitude. “We want to publicly thank all that have donated up to this point from our community and the alumni that have used this library while they were in school. We appreciate the continued support of the community here at Olney Community Library and Arts Center.”

For more info., call 564-5513.