Waiting on the money: Dixon library renovation plans shovel-ready

DIXON – As soon as federal grant funding is received, the city’s public library will be on track for major renovations that would add 1,600 square feet of usable space and turn the basement into a multipurpose room for library programming and public events.

Former Dixon Public Library Director Antony Deter provided the Dixon City Council with a project update Monday during a public hearing, required after the library was awarded a $210,000 federal rural development grant about a year ago. The money has not yet been released to put toward the $603,000 project, Deter said. He said the library had to apply for the grant and after it was awarded and has to apply to actually receive the funding derived from congressionally directed spending.

“Literally, as soon as funds arrive from the federal government, the board can make the decision to put the job out for bid.”

—  Antony Deter, former Dixon Public Library director

“This public hearing is kind of, hopefully, the last little piece of the puzzle that we need to actually receive the funding,” Deter said at the hearing, where he reviewed the purpose and scope of the project, and solicited community feedback. “It’s been quite a process. Hopefully, tonight’s meeting will be the last step.”

Space needs

The purpose of the project is to refurbish a section of the library building that has been underused for the past 30 years and mainly used for storage, and expand programming areas, Deter said.

The library’s current programming space is about 556 square feet, causing overflow into the youth area.

Deter’s PowerPoint presentation detailed how the project will include a large multipurpose room, a small nearby room for nursing or timeout, a children’s reading area and a bathroom. Three current storage areas will not be turned into public use space and will continue to be used for storage and termite and water damage in those rooms will be repaired. LED lighting will be installed throughout, and a drop ceiling will be installed in most of the area. The bathroom will be made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and there will be a baby-changing table. Water-damaged plaster will be repaired and new carpeting installed. A dividing wall will be removed to provide better access between two spaces.

Asbestos removal also is part of the project. Deter said the library was built 100 years ago and refurbished in the 1930s, 1950s and 1970s. Each renovation added more asbestos to the facility. Along with asbestos abatement, lead paint in the bathroom will be removed. The deteriorated wooden floor will be replaced with concrete, and new duct work will be installed.

Project funding

Since 2015, the library has spent about $1.75 million upgrading, restoring and refurbishing the historic building. The idea to fix up the 1,600-square-foot area surfaced about five years ago.

Along with the federal grant, the funding plan includes drawing $190,000 from the library’s reserves and using $203,000 from the library’s trust fund. Deter said that of the $603,000 cost, $103,000 is for a contingency to cover the possibility of escalating material and construction costs.

One other possible funding source would come from the receipt of a $215,000 state library grant. While the state grant has been awarded for the library project, state legislators have not appropriated money to the fund for the past five years, he said.

“So if any of you have pull down at the state Legislature, use what pull you can and see if they’ll appropriate that,” Deter said, “because it would not just necessarily help this library, it would help libraries across the state.”

Council member Mary Oros asked Deter when the work would begin.

“We’ve been dealing with the federal government for a year, so I don’t know. The project is now ‘shovel-ready,’ so to speak,” Deter said. “Literally, as soon as funds arrive from the federal government, the board can make the decision to put the job out for bid.”