April snow was moved aside for a ceremonial groundbreaking Monday morning at the site of a 1,100 square-foot addition to the Churdan public library.
The library trustees and staff have been raising funds for the $350,000 project for three years, hosting meals, silent auctions, and even an ugly Christmas sweater contest. The project includes not only the addition, but a renovation of the current library space.
Large portions of the funding have come from grants, with grant writing assistance from former library trustee Lou Blanchfield. Grow Greene County Gaming Corporation awarded the project a $60,000 grant in 2016 and an $80,000 grant in 2017. Other grants were a $59,000 grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust and a $50,000 grant from Sunderland Corporation of Overland Park, KS.
Terry Allers of Allers Associates Architects in Fort Dodge, architect for the project, attended the groundbreaking, along with Luke and Ben Thoma of Thoma Construction of Manson, general contractor for the project. Three members of the Grow Greene County board took their turns with the shovels.
The library staff and volunteers spent last week moving the library collections and furnishings to a temporary location at 604 Hill St in Churdan. That will provide less disruption for library patrons, and it will help keep the project on schedule, regardless of the weather.
Allers said the project will be completed by Nov. 1.
