DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) – This year, the Ashford branch of the Dothan Houston County Library System had planned on moving onto somewhere bigger and better.
Now, that won’t be happening.
On Tuesday, the DHCLS Board of Trustees voted to discontinue the Ashford Library Capital Campaign and library renovation project.
Last year, more than 300,000 people visited a Dothan Houston County Library location. Some of those visitors depended on the Ashford location, which was going to grow in a new building closer to the heart of downtown Ashford.
The project would have moved the Ashford branch from its current location to the building that formerly operated as MidSouth Bank’s IT and Data Center. Renovation and reconstruction were to included necessary structural changes and replacements, electrical updates, as well as the furnishings, technology, and fixtures necessary to operate library services effectively.
Originally, renovation costs were estimated to be approximately $954,000.
At its final estimate, the project was estimated at a much higher amount — around $1.6 million.
The library system’s director, Chris Warren, says that these costs accumulated greatly because of unexpected findings that weren’t accounted for in addition to rising construction costs.
“When we were considering that, and what that would mean as a financial burden for the library, we made the difficult decision to discontinue the project,” said Warren.
Moving forward, the loan application will be cancelled and the library is working with donors to decide where the fundraised amounts will be allocated.
“We’re trying to be good stewards of what we were donated for this project and if there are other ways we can use those funds to support library services in Ashford, or to support library services around the county, we’re going to be exploring those options,” Warren continued.
Even though the project isn’t moving forward, the DHCLS remains committed to serving its residents through the library resources offered in each of their locations, including the Ashford branch.
For more information on the Ashford library and what services and activities are offered, visit the DHCLS webpage here.
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