PENDLETON — While Pendleton Community Public Library has shut its doors to the public and shifted focus to online resources in response to COVID-19, it also has moved to take advantage of having a building free of patrons.
On Friday, crews began work on a $4.1 million facility redesign and upgrade, possibly moving the project’s completion date up by a month or more.
“I’m finding the silver lining,” longtime Director Lynn Hobbs said.
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The renovation, which has been in the works for a couple of years and is the product of a long-range planning process, will reconfigure the space to serve a variety of community needs while repairing, replacing and upgrading major components of the facility, including the roof, HVAC system, flooring and parking lot.
“A lot of it comes down to the space,” Hobbs said, describing the changes people will see and experience.
The square footage of the library, located at 595 E. Water St., will remain the same at 28,048. It’s how the space is used that will change.
The project will add eight study rooms in the adult section, a medium-size conference room and two study rooms in the children’s area. Right now there’s only one study room and a large meeting space.
The new rooms are meant to serve study groups, tutors, teleworkers and more.
The children’s area will be changed dramatically, too, she said.
The space will be opened up through the use of perimeter shelving, and a stage will be added.
“We’re not getting rid of books,” Hobbs was quick to emphasize. “They’re there, they’re just in a different set-up.”
Other parts of the project include a redesigned café area, a wi-fi-served outside patio area, redesigned adult reference desk and office space, and new space for the Friends of the Pendleton Library group.
“I think it’s great. I think it’s wonderful,” said library board President Dave Ballenger, a 10-year member of the seven-person board. “I think the timing is good, because it allows us to do things that were in our long-term planning.”
Ballenger said the work updates and upgrades the facility, while “providing new opportunities for all ages.
“It’s going to be a little bit for everyone,” he said.
Coco Bill, president of Friends of the Pendleton Library, said she is “so excited” about the project.
“We love the location (of the new Friends room),” Bill said. “It’ll just be a lot more convenient.
“It’s configured better and a better location for the activities we do.”
She said Friends, which helps the library offer various programs and activities to the community, also will have enough space in the new room for small meetings.
The original project timetable was May to November. But now, not only has work started early, Hobbs said, there’s also a good chance it will move faster without the need to work around patrons and worry about keeping the noise down.
The companies doing the work are Fredericks Inc. of Pendleton and krM Architecture of Anderson. It is the same team-up that completed the library’s last large construction project from 2005-07, Hobbs said.
She said the library likes to use local businesses when possible, and fortunately Fredericks and krM were the low-bidders.
The 2005-07 project, which cost $5.8 million, was an addition that added 14,000 square feet of space — doubling the size of the library — and remodeled the original building, constructed in 1991.
The current project will be financed through a bond that will be paid back through semi-annual payments — most of which are about $240,000 — through January 2032, Hobbs said.
Payments were arranged to be similar to those for the 2005-07 project, and begin as payments for the earlier project end.
“We do not anticipate anybody’s taxes going up,” Hobbs said.
The library’s annual operating budget is $964,426, not including its debt payments.
The library serves residents in Adams, Fall and Green townships, including Pendleton, Markleville and part of Ingalls, and gets most of its funding from property taxes and local income taxes.
It is governed by a seven-member board, with appointments from the county commissioners, county council and South Madison Community School Corp. board.
Visit www.pendleton.lib.in.us for more library information.
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What’s being done?
8 new study rooms in the adult section
1 new medium-sized conference room
2 new study rooms in the children’s section
Remodeled children’s restrooms
An open, interactive children’s area with a stage and nature-themed feature
Redesigned café area
Redesigned adult reference desk and office space
New Friends of the Library space
New flooring throughout
Parking lot resurfacing
Roof repairs
Updated HVAC controls
New heat pumps
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