Library board solves restroom problem

Christmas came early for the Olney Community Library and Arts Center.

OCLAC soon will build two new accessible restrooms for about a third of the expected cost, after board members discovered that the project is not subject to rigorous regulations that govern school construction projects.

The library board has been raising money since January of 2020 to make the existing restrooms compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The initial construction estimate to expand the restrooms to accommodate wheelchairs was $85,000. The project initially called for a complete overhaul of the restrooms in the main library from floor to ceiling, including new floors, stalls, toilets, sinks and lighting.

But the budget ballooned to $175,000 after the COVID pandemic disrupted supply chains, OCLAC director Lori Cox said.

After examining the ADA regulations, the OCLAC board discovered that because the library is City-owned and not an Olney Independent School District facility, it is not required to have multiple restroom stalls, Summer Branum, president of the OISD Board of Trustees and a library board member, said.

Instead, the library can convert its two existing restrooms into large family-style restrooms each with a single commode, sink and changing table, Mrs. Branum, who is also an attorney, said.

A local contractor will start construction in mid-December, Mrs. Cox said. The restroom conversions will cost approximately $60,000, leaving the library with funds to convert the existing overhead lights to LED, Mrs. Cox said.

The library still plans to host its Dueling Pianos fundraiser on Feb. 8 at the American Legion Post 414, featuring a night of music by The Eighty-Eights Show, dancing, a photo booth and an upscale grazing bar by Confetti Affairs in Graham, she said. Tickets will cost $30.

The Library also plans to apply for a Transformation Grant from the Tocker Foundation to update the shelving and furniture to go along with the new restrooms, Mrs. Cox said. “Our library has not been touched in over 40 years,” she said. “We want to make it more like 2025 than 1970.”