Mahomet Public Library takes time to plan for facility expansion

The Mahomet Public Library is planning a $7.4 million expansion to accommodate the increasing demands of the rapidly growing community. Since moving into its current 13,300-square-foot building on Highway 150 in 2010, the library has outgrown its space, prompting a comprehensive expansion plan designed to serve the community for the next 20 years.

The expansion, which will be funded through a combination of grants, donations, library reserves, and a possible bond referendum, aims to address critical issues such as overcrowded children’s areas, limited meeting spaces, and the need for quiet study rooms.

“We believe we can fund these needed improvements while asking local taxpayers for less than one-third of the overall cost,” said Mahomet Public Library Director John Howard.

The library has applied for a Public Library Construction Grant from the State of Illinois, which could cover up to 43% of the project cost. However, the grant has not been funded in recent years, and the library is awaiting approval for 2024.

The Library’s Board of Trustees began planning the expansion in 2019, following a wide-ranging process that identified the most pressing needs. The expansion will be carried out in four phases, with the first three phases focusing on a new 7,200-square-foot Children’s Library, a dedicated Teen Room, and a large, dividable meeting room.

“The new children’s library will have much more space for parents and children to sit, engage in fun activities and visit with others.” Howard explained. “One of the biggest shortcomings of our current building is that after any children’s program, that area of the library is way too small.”

The Children’s Library and Teen Room, the largest part of the expansion, will provide ample space for children and teens to read, engage in activities, and connect with others. The new space will include a glass wall to separate it from the main library, reducing noise and creating a quieter environment for other patrons.

“My goal for the Children’s library is to make it a magical place – through decoration, fun spaces, things to see and do and more,” Howard said. “What we would love is for visitors to the community, especially those with children, to be immediately told by the locals that ‘you HAVE to visit our library.'”

Phase 2 of the expansion includes the addition of a significantly larger meeting room that can be subdivided into two rooms, allowing for multiple events to take place simultaneously. The current meeting room, the Edgar Room, will be transformed into a social space for informal gatherings, providing a warm and welcoming environment for community members.

In response to the community’s enthusiasm for outdoor programming, Phase 3 will add a covered patio for outdoor events, providing much-needed shade during warm weather.

“The covered patio itself will be yet another area for programming during warm weather months,” Howard noted. “Storytimes, Family Fun Fridays, and more can be held outdoors while being protected from rain and sun.  It will also be ideal for activities such as our annual Ice Cream Social, where we can enjoy ice cream and live music in the shade of the patio, instead of in direct sun as we do now.  

“Local residents and workers can bring lunch and meet with friends on our open patio.   I am even thinking we may try to attract some local food trucks now and then.”

The final phase of the expansion, which will be completed as funding allows, includes an expansion of the adult stacks and the addition of several new study rooms. The library is focusing on completing the first three phases together.

To cover the costs of the expansion, the library plans to allocate $750,000 from its reserves and raise $1.5 million in donations. The remaining $2.4 million will be funded through a bond referendum, which the library believes can be done with little to no increase in tax rates.

“This is the only part of this project that we would ask taxpayers to assist with, as part of a bond referendum,” Howard said. “We are working with our municipal advisors to create a funding that would take advantage of retiring bonds to keep tax rates as close to level as possible.  In other words, we are trying to do this by finding funds in as many places as possible, in order to keep the cost to taxpayers as low as possible.    When the time comes, I think people will be pleasantly surprised at how little we will be asking for.”

The timing of the referendum depends on the outcome of the state grant application.

“I can say with some certainty that it will not be at this November or even next spring’s elections,” Howard explained. “When we receive notice that we have received the grant, we will have 12 months to arrange our local share of the financing.  Right now, we are just working to be as prepared as possible for when that day comes.”

In the meantime, the library is actively seeking community input on the expansion plans.

“We are interested in talking with anyone who would want to be involved with this in some way, especially in helping us form the foundation,” Howard said. “They are welcome to call or just stop in the library and I’d be happy to talk with them about it.”