With construction at the new Walkerton-Lincoln Township Library complete, Director Traci Stewart reports that staff members will be making the move over to the building on Adams Street next month! Stewart said, “The building is finished and we are waiting for the shelves that were ordered to arrive before we can move.”
The new building features two restrooms with multiple stalls, a drinking fountain that fills up water bottles, as well as a cozy reading area with a fireplace and a teen room.
“For me, the most exciting part is the new teen room.” Stewart continued, “Rather than just having a couple of shelves in a corner dedicated to them they have an actual space.”
This new location, which is next to the license branch and near Urey Middle School, is much more advantageous than where the library was situated before.
In the past, Stewart shared that although the library has been around for more than 100 years, there were some members of the community who didn’t realize Walkerton had one. Stewart said she hopes the new site will help increase visibility and bring in some more foot traffic.
The construction of this new facility was made possible thanks in part to library-supporter Larry Hiler who not only donated a parcel of land but also provided a quarter of a million dollars for the project. The library was also assisted through an OCRA grant worth $400,000 that was awarded to the Town.
Once the shelves come in and everything gets set up, library officials plan to hold a soft-open to introduce the community to the new building and they’re currently working out the details for a grand opening ceremony that will be held some time this fall.
