The current library building is facing approximately $3.7 million in renovations just to be safe for public use. Join us in asking our leaders to work together to find a new way forward. We deserve better.

Posted by Natrona County Public Library Foundation on Wednesday, March 25, 2015

If you haven't been to the Natrona County Public Library lately, you may not realize how many other people have.

“On average we have 11-1200 people visit the library every day,” says Library Director Bill Nelson. “and we check in and out around 5000 books daily.”

Nelson says though, there is a problem.

The library needs a fire suppression sprinkler system, and to hang that from the ceiling, the asbestos must be removed.

That's not cheap.

“GSD Architecture has estimated it will take about $3.7-million just to do the repairs to bring the building up to code,” Nelson says.

And the public doesn't seem to want to pay for it.

“The voters in two elections have voiced their opinions that they didn’t want to pay for a new library with a ballot measure,” he added, “So it’s really up to our community leaders to get together and figure out how to solve this community issue.”

But, if the library is to remain open and safe, Nelson says, sooner or later, we'll have to bite the fiscal bullet.

The problem is outlined in the video attached to this story.

 

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