Revision For a Dream
By: Mary Zielinski - 04/09/2006

        WASHINGTON, Iowa - A revised plan for the new Washington public library cut nearly $859,000 from the original construction costs, but still will result in a building more than 50 percent larger than the existing library.
        City leaders are considering a 20,000-square-foot, two-story building at 109 W. Washington St., on the south side of the downtown square.
        The library , furnishings included, would cost $5.03 million.
         The revised plan calls for paying $365,900 to demolish existing buildings on the site, down from $500,000 originally estimated. Also, the library 's size has been reduced from 34,500 square feet originally proposed in September.
         Residents in this town of 7,140 people are getting a chance to see that plan and comment. Nearly 70 of them went to a public meeting last Monday for a first look at the plan.
        Library Director Patrick Finney said 20,000 square feet would meet the library 's needs. Only one-half of the 10,000-square-foot basement would be finished initially. That space could be used for a mechanical room, storage, genealogical records, a study area and a possible archive for the Washington Historical Society.
        Members of the library 's foundation spearheading this project anticipate a large part of the project's funding - possibly as much as $2 million to $2.5 million - to come from private donations.
        The remainder would be from sources that include state grants and a bond issue, Finney said.
        While no exact figure has been set for a bond issue, indications are it would be about $1.5 million.
        The theme for the coming capital campaign will be "Heritage, Heart and Hope," an acknowledgment that the library started downtown in the 19th century.
        "This will be our third location and fourth building," Finney said. If the effort goes well and a new library building materializes, the facility could open in two years, he said.
        No plans exist for using the current library . Some city officials have suggested it could become the city hall, or rental space.
        Erected in the 1950s, the existing library , at 120 E. Main St., is on the site of the Jane Chilcothe home, which she donated to the city for a library in 1901.
        Plans call for building a new public library on the south side of the square in downtown Washington, Iowa. The project is expected to cost $5.03 million, which includes demolition of existing structures at the site to make way for the new 20,000-square-foot, two-story building in
the center of the block.
        Plans were unveiled to the public Monday at the site on the south side of the square in downtown Washington, Iowa. If funding efforts and construction plans go smoothly, organizers say the new facility could open in two years.