Building Project - Recent News
Building Project History & Archives
Building Project News
December 6, 2024
On December 4th of this month, the Town held a special meeting of the electorate to vote on the sale of the Town Hall property to the village for the purpose of building a new library.
All grant paperwork was submitted at the end of November for review and in preparation for the signing of the grant agreement.
The village and library continue to move forward with OPN in the initial phases of design, and are gathering information regarding the site with surveys and testing. OPN will present to the Library Board on December 11th to share initial concepts and gather feedback. They will be presenting to the Village Board on December 17th, and on January 9th there will be a community engagement session in the Village Hall community room. The community is welcome to attend to learn more.
October 24, 2024
Friday, October 18th the New Glarus Public Library was visited by Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary, Kathy Blumenfeld, to tour the library and celebrate the community’s recent Flexible Facilities award of 4.25 million dollars for the construction of a new library. Blumenfeld met with local leaders and stakeholders including the Village Administrator, Library Director, and members of the Village and Library boards to congratulate the community and celebrate this important milestone.
Blumenfeld shared, “I see Libraries as the backbone of a community, it’s the gathering place, a place where people come to borrow books, to read books, to meet, and there is so much amazing programming that happens at libraries for children, for seniors, and everybody in between.”
Local leaders emphasized that the new library will be a community hub and highlighted the many positive impacts of the project including, increased broadband access, private spaces to conduct activities related to work, education, and healthcare, as well as more space for browsing, quiet reading, programming, and gathering. Gratitude was expressed to the Village, Library, Town, and Swiss Church Boards who are working together to make a new downtown library a reality.
Architect Update
October 11, 2024
The library board has selected an architectural firm and is excited to be working with OPN Architects out of Madison, Wisconsin. Check out some of the libraries they have created at OPN Library Planning & Design.
Flexible Facilities Grant Award!!
October 7, 2024
In July 2024, the Village of New Glarus and New Glarus Public Library submitted a Flexible Facilities Program (FFP) grant proposal for the construction of a new public library at the downtown location of the current Town Hall property, 26 5th Street. On Monday, October 7th, Governor Evers announced that the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) is awarding the Village of New Glarus $4,250,000 for this FFP project. The New Glarus Public Library is one of 35 agencies in Wisconsin to receive a portion of the DOA’s $115 million in funding made available through the American Rescue Plan Act.
The grant funding will assist with the construction of a new public library, benefiting more than 6,100 individuals of New Glarus and the surrounding towns. The new library will offer expanded features, including additional browsing areas, a dedicated children’s programming space, study rooms, and a classroom for programs and workshops. In response to community needs, the library will also be equipped with fast, reliable 100 Mbps internet, enhanced technology access, and private workspaces designed for virtual activities such as remote work, education, and healthcare. These amenities address the increasing demand for private workspaces, a need that has grown significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant funding is specifically designated for the construction of a new library building and cannot be used for future operating costs.
The New Glarus Library Board is in the process of hiring an architect to begin designing the new library. The design process will include community input sessions, which will give residents and library users an opportunity to provide their feedback. For those looking to contribute to this project, the library will continue to seek and accept donations to the endowment fund, which will help cover operational costs and ensure the long-term sustainability of the library.
For further information, our board minutes are available under the "More" tab on the homepage http://www.newglaruspubliclibrary.org/library-board