©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Yates City Celebrates Plans for New Library with Groundbreaking |
Donations of money and land will ultimately result in a new library in Yates City.
A large group of people gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday afternoon at the site where the facility will be built. They heard from Bryan Reynolds, president of the Salem Township Public Library Board of Trustees, Village President Brian Meyers, Bank of Yates City board president Lou Rogers and the people who will design and construct the building. Officials then turned the dirt.
The funds for the new building are being provided by an anonymous donor and the site for the new library was donated by the Bank of Yates City.
Reynolds tells WGIL the current library, at 115 West Main Street, is old, lacks space and doesn't provide nearly enough accessibility.
"Our library was built in the 1920s. We are up a step to get to the sidewalk, three steps up to get into the door, up three more steps to get onto the library proper...it's small, aisles are narrow, the book stacks are close together. You couldn't get a walker down between there."
Reynolds says it's not been determined yet what will happen to the current library building. He says he's struggled with abandoning that building, which he considers historic and one of the oldest in Yates City.
While officials aren't identifying who donated the money, Reynolds says the new facility will be around 4,000 square feet and the budget is around $200 per square foot.
Rogers says the bank donated the land as a way to thank the community for its support. He says modern technology will give patrons "access to the world." The bank also donated property in 1999 where the Yates City Community Center is located.
Meyers says the village is excited about the new library and he thanked its board for their efforts.
The architect for the new facility is aPace Design of Peoria and the general contractor is T. Haefli and Sons, also of Peoria. The ribbon on the building could be cut as soon as March of next year.
Pictures from Saturday's Salem Township Public Library Groundbreaking Ceremony in Yates City
The current public library in Yates City at 115 W. Main Street
Property donated by the Bank of Yates City at the corner of Main and North Burson Streets where the new Salem Township Public Library will be constructed
Bryan Reynolds, president of the Salem Township Public Library Board of Trustees, discusses plans for the new library Saturday afternoon
Brian Meyers, Yates City Village President, thanks everyone for attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the new library that officials hope will be ready for a ribbon cutting ceremony in seven months
Officials with the library, village, bank and firms involved with the design and construction of the new library stand on the site where it will go up
(WGIL Photos and News Story by Mike Perry) |
|
| 08 29 09 by Newsroom |
Click here for the WGIL News Archive
Click here for national news
The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.
