The Livingston County Library Charitable Trust Board of Directors has announced that it has purchased the commercial building at 917 Washington Street, formerly a Walgreens store. The building will be renovated and will become the new home for a branch of the Livingston County Library that will serve as the Children’s and Teen Library.
“After learning that the library was reaching maximum capacity for its collections and program space, the Trust Board wanted to offer a solution that would benefit the library and the community,” explained Candy Warren, Livingston County Library Director. “This would also create space at the main branch for expanded adult services.”
Lindy Chapman, Chair of the Livingston County Library Charitable Trust Board, stated that “The Trust Board is excited about renovating this building to be used as a Children’s and Teen Library. In addition to being a practical expansion of what our Library can offer to County residents, we believe that Lillian DesMarias would be very pleased with this use of the funds she gave to the Library.”
The Livingston County Charitable Trust board was formed in 2013 when former Library Director Lillian DesMarias bequeathed the library approximately 8 million dollars. The Livingston County Library Trust was created to accept donations and allocate funds to the library for additional programs, materials, services, expansion, and future capital projects. All excess memorial funds not being used for expansion and improvement purposes are kept separate, invested and reinvested by the board.
DesMarias, a progressive thinker, was responsible for the installation of the library’s elevator and ramp, the remodeling of the front entry, and for expanding the Children’s Department to its current home in the Library’s lower level.
“The Library Trust Board has been working on this project for several months and we are anxious to get the renovations underway,” Chapman adds, “We know that this will be a wonderful addition to the Library and to the community.”
Warren also noted that “We also want to be sure that it is known that the addition of this new branch of the Livingston County Library will not increase the cost to taxpayers in the County.” She indicated that the next steps are for the Board to put the project out for bid and begin renovations in Fall 2018.
