By Kim McDarison

Fundraising plans remain underway to raise $6 million for a proposed library renovation project, according to information released Wednesday by Irvin L. Young Memorial Library Director Stacey Lunsford and Capital Campaign Committee Chairman Jim Winship.

According to the release, on Monday, July 10, some 50 people gathered at the library to learn about the continuing fundraising efforts, which, the release notes, is $300,000 away from reaching a project goal of $2.25 million.

“We are almost there. With the help of the community, we’ll make sure that Whitewater has a library that serves all of the community well and will even more be a place where people can learn, create and gather,” Winship was quoted as saying in the release.

A renovation project at the library includes a 7,000-square-foot addition. Some funding was approved for the project by the Whitewater City Council in December of 2021. The approval was contingent on the library board’s ability to raise any remaining funds for the project.

In December of 2021, the city approved a resolution making clear its commitment to fund $3 million of what was then described as a $5 million project. A contingency of the approval made the library board responsible for providing $2 million of the project’s cost.

Monies committed by the city council would be included in the city’s 2024 budget.

In 2021, then-Whitewater City Finance Director Steve Hatton noted that, among dollars earmarked for the project, $250,000 would come from within the city’s 2023 budget fund balance.

“I can see a bond issuance in 2024 for $3 million,” Hatton said.

Also in 2021, Hatton pointed to $1 million in fundraising, $500,000 of cash or fund balance from the library board, which, he said, represents the real estate the library board holds, and some funds held by the library board in its fund 220, which, he noted, the board intends to commit to the project.

In 2021, the library board told council members that it would obtain a portion of the money through fundraising.

Council approved the measure by a 6-1 vote, with Councilman Jim Allen casting the ‘no’ vote.

Once financing was in place, Hatton anticipated that construction of the project could begin in 2024 or 2025.

In May, the committee announced the results of a campaign, titled: “100 Extraordinary Women,” which, as of May 11, had netted some $150,000 in contributions, surpassing its campaign goal of $100,000.

The May release noted that the Extraordinary Woman campaign was connected to a larger effort to raise $2.25 million, further noting that $1.8 million had been raised. A campaign to raise $450,000 was ongoing.

An update offered in May by Lunsford to WhitewaterWise’s sister publication, Fort Atkinson Online, noted that, due to inflation, the full cost of the project has increased to $6 million.

On Monday, according to the library’s most recent release, those in attendance learned that the library board has, to date, obtained $1.95 million, raised through “library reserves, donations from three local families, and the 100 Extraordinary Women campaign.”

The release stated: “The remaining amount to be raised is $300,000, which will bring total donations raised to $2.25 million.”

In 2021, Lunsford presented the library’s renovation plans to the city council.

Aided by slides, Lunsford presented a graphic showing the library’s current footprint. The graphic included the library, its parking lot and some properties, Lunsford said the library board had acquired to the east.

Looking at the library building, she said, a small area extending from the west side of the building delineated the current “Community Room.”

“That’s the part that’s going to be expanded,” she said.

Said Lunsford: “We are going to demolish the current lobby and Community Room and we are going to build an addition on the west side. So there will be an expanded lobby; there’s going to be several meeting rooms of various sizes that are going to be flexible in their sizing — they can be made smaller, they can be made larger, they can open up into the lobby for venues that require extra space. So we are making it very flexible.”

Plans also call for a walkway along the building’s west side which could be used for additional programming, she said. 

Looking at the existing building, she said, plans for renovations include moving the adult section closer to the current library entrance and moving the early learning section into the building’s southeast corner.

“We are going to be adding a children’s restroom there, a nursing mother’s room there, (and) there’s going to be a new small office space for the youth educational services librarian,” Lunsford said, adding that the area used for the library’s Makerspace program will be renovated into a children’s story time room.

With the expanded building, Lunsford said, “we need to have expanded restrooms; you need to have so many stalls per square foot.”

Within the one-story addition visitors to the library will find a new social reading and discover area.

Space within in new addition will accommodate the free pantry, and spaces where people can sit, use wifi, read, socialize, all outside the library proper, Lunsford said.

“A lot of times people want to talk, they want to chat, and then other people want quiet. So this offers us the opportunity to do that, which we don’t have right now. It’s hard to get a quiet corner in the current library,” she said.

Citing a need for renovations, Lunsford said the library building is 30 years old.

“It is not a very modern building as far as the ability to have technology and those things in it. We need to replace the lighting. The lighting is very bad. The carpet needs to be replaced. We have a lot of bubbling and tears there. We need to have more electrical outlets. We need to have more places for people to plug in their devices. That’s extremely important to people. What we have right now are some outlets that sit up off the floor; they are a tripping hazard, but it is the best we can offer.”

Several options remain available to those who would like the donate to the fundraising effort, the release stated, including an opportunity to purchase a paving brick or tile featuring the name of an individual, family or business.

To learn more about fundraising opportunities, contact Lunsford by phone: 262-473-0530 or email: SLunsford@whitewater-wi.gov.

An earlier story about the library’s renovation plans is here: https://whitewaterwise.com/city-commits-3-million-towards-5-million-library-renovation-project/.

An earlier story about the 100 Extraordinary Women campaign is here: https://whitewaterwise.com/eighty-extraordinary-women-attend-library-fundraising-kickoff-event/.