FILE - In this April 7, 2017, photo, a large display stands in the lawn of the main Josephine County library branch in Grants Pass, Ore.
Gillian Flaccus / AP
Last year, the Josephine Community Library Foundation purchased an entire city block in downtown Grants Pass, Oregon, near the Rogue River, for $2 million.
The buildings currently on the site — which house businesses including Four Seasons, a Chinese restaurant, and Liberty Tax — will be demolished.
For the past year, the library has been working with architects and engineers. Now, they’ve come up with four potential designs for the new library.
Library Director Kate Lasky said the location will benefit the community as a whole.
“That has the potential and high likelihood of revitalizing that area of the Grants Pass downtown, and the businesses neighboring that library will see an increase in foot traffic,” she said.
The current library faced pushback in December when the county allowed residents to opt out of paying the local tax that funds the library. But after legal action, the county eventually reversed its decision, so those homeowners now have to pay the tax again.
That tax money is a lifeline for the library, which closed in 2007 because of a lack of funds. Residents had voted down both a tax district and a levy to fund the library before finally approving the current district in 2017.
Related: Josephine Community Library pursues legal action after residents opt out of tax district
The new building will be paid for through a combination of fundraising and grants.
The total cost of the project is unknown, since it depends on which potential library concept residents prefer. Lasky said the cost could range from $11 million to $30 million.
One problem with the current building, Lasky said, is that it’s owned by the county, not the library.
“We can’t really fix it up and maintain it in the way that we would like, including making changes for safety and security purposes. The roof leaks, [and] the electricity was set up 60 years ago,” she said.
Lasky said the building also does not have sufficient meeting space to meet the library’s needs.
Related: Southern Oregon county allows residents to opt out of paying library tax
The new library could include resources like meeting rooms and a children’s story time area.
“With the new library, we’ll be able to serve our community so much better, not only with the resources like the technology and the programming, but [also having] that safe space where people can come together and learn will be huge,” said Rebecca Stoltz, the executive director of the Josephine Community Library Foundation.
The goal is to build the new library in the next three to five years after fundraising is complete.
The public is invited to three community meetings — on July 20, 25 and 27 — to give feedback.