The Chemung County Library District, which currently has six permanent locations plus the Bookmobile, plans to open another branch in a part of the county where demand has been high.
The library district recently purchased a building at 859 Broadway in the Town of Southport with plans to convert it into a new library to service the southern portion of the county.
The facility was formerly a medical office building owned by St. Joseph’s Hospital.
“Over the years, we had done a number of surveys of our constituents and found that there was a good bit of demand for a branch in the southeast portion of the county,” said Rachel Dworkin, president of the library district board of trustees. “So, when the building came on the market, it seemed like a good opportunity.”
Other locations in the library district include Steele Memorial Library in Elmira, the Big Flats Library, Horseheads Free Library, Van Etten Library and West Elmira Library.
Since the Southport building needs renovations, Dworkin said there’s no firm timeline for completion yet.
Paul Chapman, executive director of the Chemung County Library District, said it will probably be three to four years before the facility is ready to reopen as a library.
Chapman, who said the library district used New York state construction aid to purchase the building and will use additional aid to remodel it, said the closure of the former library branch on South Main Street in Elmira left a void in service for the southern part of the county.
“People from Southport have been asking for their own library for a long time. That area still needs support,” Chapman said. “I was scouting locations and the doctor’s office was absolutely ideal. It’s across from Broadway Academy. They’re excited. We like to be a community resource, and help out schools and help out families. We want to be where people are.”
Once the new library is open, Chapman anticipates it will have two full-time staffers and one part-time employee, similar to staffing at other smaller branches within the library district.
In addition to new jobs, Chapman said the library will benefit the economy in other ways, since the library district tries to shop locally for needed items as much as possible.
The plan to open a new library branch on Broadway is great news for the community, said Southport Town Supervisor Joseph Roman.
Roman said in 2012, the town was actually pushing for a library to be located in a new community center at Chapel Park in Pine City.
“We certainly would like a branch on the Southside,” Roman said. “It’s been a discussion for quite some time. I think it’s a great fit for them (library district), for the school district and the town. It’s a great location.”
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Town of Southport residents get their wish. New library branch planned
Reporting by Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
