MOORE PUBLIC LIBRARY UPDATE

February 16, 2022 

As we are  now well into 2022, the Moore Public Library Expansion Campaign continues.  To date, over $340,000 has been raised by the efforts of local businesses, major donors, and other community members with another $55,000 coming from pledges.

Preliminary papers for a loan from the USDA have been filed and the required public hearing is scheduled at 7:00 pm  February 23, 2022 in the annex of the Moore Public Library.  If inclement weather forces a reschedule, the date is February 24, 2022 at 7:00 pm.

A bit of background:  The current library is a historic 1859 building that was donated to the Village of Lexington to use as a library in 1903.  An addition was added in 1991 to house a children’s collection.  In 2007 a community group studied the library and determined the most pressing need was space so they recommended the library double its size either through an addition or by building a new library elsewhere.  That became the focus of the strategic plan for the library.

In 2017, two public meetings were held, and the overwhelming consensus was to continue using the current library, which is in good shape, and purchase the building next door for an expansion.  The plan includes a community room, kitchenette, space for young adults and recreational reading, outdoor patio, barrier-free restrooms, additional bookshelves, storage, and an elevator and walkway to connect the two buildings to make them ADA compliant.

Many of us expected the project to be completed by now.  With the advent of an international pandemic, costs have skyrocketed to over a million dollars, and much of our fundraising was put on hold.  We will also apply for an upcoming federal grant that will become available in the next couple of months through the MEDC (Michigan Economic Development Corporation) which will require a fifty percent match.  This is the Revitalization and Placemaking Program (RAP),  part of the American Rescue Plan

Once the USDA loan and or The American Rescue Plan grant is approved we will be letting bids and  fully anticipate construction on this “cornerstone of our community” to begin in 2022.

For further information please contact the library at 810-359-8267 or visit our website at www.moorepubliclibrary.org

Thank you once again for your continued support.