Library Board Finalizes Method to Pay Off Balance of Renovation Debt

The Effingham Public Library Board has finalized a method of paying off the balance owed on the library renovation project.

The Board approved a $1.5 million loan to be repaid over 20 years at under $100,000/year.

Library Director Amanda McKay said the annual repayment amount is affordable enough that the library can make the payment even if no further contributions are received. McKay said Washington Savings Bank is taking the lead on the loan, but said other institutions are also assisting. She said she does not expect it to take 20 years to pay off the balance, though, saying pledges are still being honored and other contributions are coming in.

In other business, the library board welcomed Tyler Witges as a member, having succeeded Suellen Reimers, who resigned from the Board due to work commitments. The Board okayed emergency documents, listing the library basement as an emergency shelter once the Ron Diehl Center and the Effingham Performance Center are full, agreed to serve as a rain shelter for the Effingham Artisan Fair, and accepted a gift of stock from a donor for the Readers Bridge. The project allows those who can't afford a library card to obtain one. The stock gift was a sticking point, since Readers Bridge hadn't accepted a stock gift that large.

Board members approved a 2016 Action Plan. The plan includes expanding the library's service area. McKay said daycares and preschools outside the library's district are a possibility and she hopes to talk with other libraries in the county about joining forces.

The Board heard from Girl Scout Sophia Ballard on the completion of her Gold Project, equivalent to a Boy Scout Eagle Scout project. Ballard raised funds and then constructed a book shelf in the shape of a tree, with shelves in the shape of tree branches. The book shelf will be installed in the next couple of months in the Innovation Lab.