Alleghany Public Library asks for $2 million in referendum

On a unanimous vote, the Alleghany Board of Commissioners agreed to move forward with a referendum for the Alleghany Public Library on Monday night.

The library is expecting a need of a total of $3,671,000 for construction of a new 20,000 square foot facility on the location of the current library. The library's board and supporters have agreed to raise the other half of the funds needed to construct the building. County Manager Don Adams urged the commissioners to move that price upwards to $4 million to allow for inflation as the library works to raise the remainder of the funds.

The question on the ballot going to the voters would be whether or not to fund the $2 million, or half the project.

Commissioner Ken Richardson, who also serves on the library board, noted that the county would not need to come up with its share of the funding until after the library has raised the other half. That would occur only if voters approve the project in November. He said, under a best-case scenario, the voters would approve the referendum and the county would need to provide its half of the funding in 2008. The information on the referendum question shows that the move will require a tax increase of about 2.5 cents if voters approve it this November.

The plan includes space for the Alleghany Historical and Genealogical Society (3,000 square feet) and the library bookstore (2,000 square feet). The costs for that addition would be about $800,000, estimates from Thomas H. Hughes Architecture of Winston-Salem show. Estimates submitted by firm vice president Andrew J. Lopina show the new building construction, furniture and equipment at $2,560,000, architectural and engineering fees of $157,500, surveying fees of $3,500, a $150,000 contingency and the $800,000 for the additional spaces.

The total cost of holding the referendum is estimated to be $5,500, with $3,000 going to the attorney and $2,500 going to the Local Government Commission as an application fee.

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