Community Library seeking donations for new $35 million project

10.03.2024 04:51

Kxan.com

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — The Dripping Springs Community Library is looking to almost quadruple its size when it moves into a new 37,000 square-foot building in the coming years, but is looking for some financial help to help construct the project.

Staff for the library are campaigning to raise $5 million by the end of this year that will help finance some of the building costs associated with the new project. A spokesperson for the library said it is applying for a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program to fund the remaining cost of the project.

A look outside the proposed library in Dripping Springs (Photo Courtesy: Dripping Springs Community Library).

Staff have already raised $1 million in the first two months of the year and hope to gain more money during the first week of April, which is National Library Week. H.E.B. has pledged to match all donations up to $50,000 to go toward the new library.

Why is a new library necessary?

The need for a new library comes down to space -- the library's current 25-year-old building is only about 9,500 square feet. The proposed library, which will be built across the street from Dripping Springs High School, will be about 37,000 square feet.

Library Director Mindy Laird said that the library has become cramped as the community has grown. When the building was built in the late 1990's, there were only 900 library card holders. Today, there are 12,000 card holders.

What one of the rooms dedicated to teenagers will look like (Photo Courtesy: Dripping Springs Community Library).

"If we see about 50 to 60 people in just one story time, that makes a significant impact on what we're able to offer the community," Laird explained.

There's also a problem with space for resources too. If the library adds a book, it has to remove one book to make enough space.

Another issue is that the community is actively looking for public meeting spaces. Library staff said the chamber of commerce gets a dozen calls a week from organizations looking for public meeting spaces, but there are not enough.

On the outside, there are only 35 parking spaces for cars. That's not nearly enough space for people to visit as each story time is now getting about 50 to 60 kids.

What are you getting?

The new library will be two stories tall and have an event lawn and amphitheater on the outside. It will also feature lots of meeting space and teen rooms dedicated for students to learn.

"This community has seen so much change and the library creates a space for this changed community to come together and really find our unified voice," explained Sarah Rose, capital campaign manager for the library.

One of the board rooms in the new proposed library (Photo Courtesy: Dripping Springs Community Library).

The library is one of 15 library districts in the state of Texas. It receives all its revenue from 0.25% of sales tax within its district borders. Its borders mimic the same boundaries as the Dripping Springs Independent School District.

The library projects that its sales tax revenue will double by 2033, which will provide enough money to operate the new library and its amenities. The library is one of five total libraries in all of Hays County.

If you live or work in Hays county, you are eligible to get a free library card from DSCL. The library staff said they expect to break ground on the project by 2025 and hope to open to the public by 2027.