There are still some financial pieces of the puzzle to put together, but if all goes as planned, the renovation for the Hall County Library System's (HCLS) main branch in downtown Gainesville could get underway as soon as next year.
Members of the Hall County Library Board got an update on the renovation project this week during their quarterly board meeting.
Library Director Lisa MacKinney said after the meeting she feels confident about HCLS's chances of receiving a $2 million grant from the state legislature this year.
"Georgia Public Library Service is our state agency and they...have recommended us as one of the top projects this year," MacKinney said. "We're number four on the list, and last year, four projects were funded so we're hoping we'll be one of four this year."
MacKinney told board members she had a chance to meet with local legislators following the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce Annual Eggs & Issues breakfast in December, and she felt as if the lawmakers understood the importance of renovating the aging library space.
She said the main branch opened to patrons in 1970 and has never been expanded, although the building has had what she called "a couple of facelifts."
As far as specific plans for the renovation, MacKinney said they have some ideas they've gathered from the public, but nothing is in stone right now.
"We've heard a great deal about the need for a big meeting room, a lot about the need for private study rooms for small group work. We've heard a lot about the children's area and the desperate need for more children's space," MacKinney said.
She said once all of the financing is in place and there's a construction timeline established, then library officials will conduct more focus groups to determine exactly what the public would use.
If the legislature does approve the grant money for HCLS, those dollars would be used along with an anticipated $2.5 million from Hall County's SPLOST VII to renovate the main branch.
