Monday’s Carroll City Council meeting started with a twist as the council and interested members of the community convened at what will be the temporary location for the Carroll Public Library during upcoming renovations to the Farner Government Building. City Manager, Mike Pogge-Weaver, says the space in the former Wal-Mart building on west Highway 30 looks a whole lot different than it did about nine months ago. He says at that time it was a lot more of a “rustic space.” It has now been built out to house a reception/check-out area, a director’s office, storage and men’s and women’s restrooms. The city did not pay for a dropped ceiling, but as Badding Construction converted it for the library’s use, they decided to provide the upgrade for future lessees. The council and city staff had also opted to leave the concrete flooring as is, but there are some decisions that need to be made for patron and staff safety, as there could be some tripping hazards with uneven concrete. Pogge-Weaver says they will be having discussions on whether they will work to level the existing floor or install some form of carpet. The space was completed last week and the approximately 8,000 square feet includes wifi hotspots and will house the entire library collection. Pogge-Weaver says a moving company that specializes in exactly what they need will be contracted to make the move. They will remove the books onto temporary shelving, carts and then take down and move the existing permanent shelving. This will be set up in the new space and then the books replaced on them. It is expected that the library will be able to relocate to the new temporary space in September, and they anticipate being there about a year while construction is completed at the current location.
