- November 6, 2024
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After checking out options for the future of the Flagler County Public Library system, officials have decided on a direction.
County staff had looked into two choices over the past year: expanding the library on Palm Coast Parkway or building a new library on land near the Government Services Building on State Road 100. Hopefully, there would be funds to do both.
At a workshop on June 5, County Commissioners decided to pursue the new library near State Road 100.
County Administrator Craig Coffey told the commissioners that the Library Board of Trustees’ preference would be to pursue a new library near State Road 100, saying the south county area is underserved by the library system. Holly Albanese, public library executive director, also supported the idea at the workshop.
“We need to reach them with children’s programs, computer usage.”
JIM ULSAMER, on building a library in southern part of county
There are more than 20,000 active card holders in the southern part of the county, according to Jim Ulsamer, of the Board of Trustees.
“We need to reach them with children’s programs, computer usage,” he said. He also said that traffic at the main library has been flat.
The choice to expand the library on Palm Coast Parkway became appealing last year when an anonymous donor offered $1 million for the expansion. The county planned to use the donation along with a grant of $500,000 for the project. However, state funding for grants was cut, so that revenue did not come in. The grant application had been ranked No. 1 out of 15.
Also, Coffey said, the donor wanted a 12,000-square-foot expansion and the county planned a 9,000-square-foot expansion so it could be paid for by the donation and the grant. This created uncertainty in the expansion plans, he said.
Coffey suggested that the donor may still be willing to help expand the existing library, and give the county more time to achieve the expansion, such as six years.
After officials agreed on pursuing a new library in the south, Coffey said money for land acquisition and design for the new library will be placed in the budget to be considered later this year.
