Stewart building may be gift

DUNKIRK —Christmas has come early for the Dunkirk Public Library Board.
The Dunkirk Industrial Development Corporation has proposed spending “in the neighborhood of $100,000” to prepare the former Stewart Brothers Furniture Store building as a new home for the library.
The DIDC then proposes to give the building to the library board, board president Tommy “Chip” Phillips said Wednesday night. Such a gift would require the approval of the Dunkirk City Council, Phillips added.
“I think they made us an offer we can’t refuse,” said Phillips.
“I think it’s the best gift ever,” said library board member Andrea Ritter.
Phillips said DIDC plans to repair the building’s roof, repair some structural damage, and clean it out before gifting it to the library.
He said that if he understood correctly, the library board would have the option of giving the building back to DIDC if plans to relocate to the new location fall through.
“That was more than I could have hoped for,” said Phillips.
One study conducted in 2011 estimated the cost of relocating the library and the Glass Museum to the Stewart Brothers site at slightly more than $1.4 million.
Grant support is expected to be sought from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. OCRA provided partial funding for the 2011 study. That study estimated the cost of remodeling and enlarging the current library and museum at slightly under $1.4 million and the cost of building a new library at more than $2 million.
While the library board took no action on the DIDC proposal Monday night, enthusiasm for accepting the gift was clear. Board members toured the Stewart Brothers building and met in an executive session to discuss the acquisition of property prior to Wednesday’s regular meeting.
In other business, the board:
•Discussed concerns about ongoing issues with connectivity to the Internet by library computers.
•Accepted a restored donors’ plaque from the Friends of the Library.
•Decided to forego an independent audit of the library’s books and await an audit by the state.
•Approved having After-Hours Home Improvement do $550 in roof repairs to the Glass Museum.[[In-content Ad]]