Now that all the money has been raised for a new library to be built in Mount Sterling in Brown County, a date for construction to start will be coming shortly. The Brown County Public Library will be located at 106 SW Cross in Mount Sterling, site of the former 666 Hotel.
The old Mount Sterling Public Library was formed in 1915 and it moved to a converted hardware store at 143 W. Main in Mount Sterling in 1967. Now the Brown County Public Library serves all the county's citizens and will soon be getting a new $5.4 million home.
Muddy River News states that the bidding process on the new library ended on August 30th. The bids will be reviewed later this week.
Dewberry from Peoria is the architect who estimated that it would be 12 to 14 months for construction. The library needs no additional staff once construction is complete and officials do not expect the cost of operating the library to increase.
The old present library has just 3,100 square feet which is not enough to meet the county's needs. It also doesn't meet basic Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines and was built with materials containing asbestos.
Plans for the new library called for it to be 12,500 square feet when fundraising originally started in 2019. However, the COVID pandemic forced fundraising to be paused.
According to Richard Young, library director, an anonymous donor contributed $2 million. Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White also awarded $2,250,559 in late May 2022 through the Illinois State Library's Public Library Construction Act grant program.
That left a little more than $1 million to be raised and Young said more than 600 contributors came up with those donations between June and Christmas of 2021.
"We had support from the community from near and far. We have people away from here who grew up in Brown County who wanted to donate to the project, and people who have family here who wanted to donate to the project. Lots of current residents donated because they saw the need."
Library director | Richard Young
WGEM News reports that the new building will include:
- 12,500 square feet building
- Community room seating 102 people
- Public computers that will have WiFi
- Small kitchen area to be privately accessed for nominal fee
Brown County Public Library states that the number and types of programs will be expanded and will include:
- Expanded programs for all ages
- Host larger events such as the Summer Reading Program
- Explore partnerships with local schools and community colleges and other civic organizations
The library bought four lots in three parcels in November 2018 to create the new site, which is 120 feet by 240 feet.
DataBid is currently working on this project: Brown County Library District New Library (0017072422)
