The Town of Aberdeen hosts the second-oldest continuous-use public library in North Carolina. Page Memorial Library is 960 square feet, containing approximately 6,500 volumes and is open four hours daily, Monday through Friday. This facility has faithfully served southern Moore County since 1907 — that’s 116 years.
For the past decade, Aberdeen town officials have been working on plans to update the library, and last year, a historic building on Exchange Street was donated by the town as a location for the new library. It is substantially larger than the current Page Library.
On Monday, Aberdeen Town Council held a work session to determine where that work stands and discussed plans moving forward. Tom Cruce, the president of the nonprofit Friends of Aberdeen Library, reported on the progress. He said recent interest is “not re-generated because we’ve always had the energy and passion behind what we’re trying to accomplish.” But now, he said, that more residents have seen the designs, there’s mounting public interest.
Cruce told the work session the three areas that have generated the most enthusiasm are the community room, the children’s area, and the patio. Cruce said he’s heard from young mothers expressing interest in the children’s area. The patio would be one-of-a-kind — most libraries just don’t have them.
Current plans call for the retention of the building’s existing elevator — but that’s the only real point of contention brought up at the meeting, with concern expressed about the square footage that could be expanded by eliminating the historic elevator, and using the space, for example, for exhibits.
Cruce said he’s been in touch with people in Carthage, who said an expanded library the size of what’s planned for Page Memorial should employ two librarians. Compared with other towns, the Aberdeen library is open, generally, up to 16 hours a week, while in other areas, libraries are in service for up to 37 hours.
A local architect, John Heckethorn, has been working on plans, and construction drawings should be ready by mid-February. General contractors for HVAC and other systems are being considered, primarily Sandhills Building Systems and O’Connor Construction, which Heckethorn recommended.
According to town documents, “the town has committed $200,000 in capital funds for the library project going back approximately 18 months. These funds are budgeted through a project ordinance that was recently updated, and there is roughly $150,000 remaining in that budget. The town’s contribution of funds is recognized in that project ordinance, along with the recognition that additional funding is needed in an estimated amount of approximately $500,000 to build the library as proposed. A significant amount of funding is still needed to complete this project. The Friends of the Aberdeen Library is pursuing a more detailed estimate for the renovation costs.”
Last year, fundraising efforts for the library brought in about $30,000 (after expenses), and with a carry-over from the previous year, the current balance is $70,000. By the end of the calendar year, Cruce said, that balance is likely to be about $80,000.
One goal for next year is to raise $100,000, and if they can sell a thousand or more personalized bricks for the entry walkway, that goal would be exceeded “substantially.” At the moment, they’re “way behind” on brick sales, but a more aggressive campaign will be used to interest the public in buying individual bricks. And this month, an unidentified donor is said to be ready to send a check for $5,000.
One of the near-term goals is to have an “exhibition day,” probably in January, where the public can look at drawings and plans.
The commissioners are expected to vote on the floor plan on Nov. 27.
To view the complete work session, click here.
Feature photo: The proposed floor plan of the new library on Exchange Street in Aberdeen/Photo via Town of Aberdeen.
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel reporter Steve Biddle.
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