Buchanan Library may get 2.1 million facelift

The Buchanan Library may be getting a $2.1 million facelift.

Eventually, anyway.

The Board of Supervisors at its Tuesday, September 27, 2022 meeting gave the nod to a Request for Proposals (RFP) for professional services for schematic design, construction design, and bidding and construction support. The estimated cost of the services is between $180,000 and $220,000.

In November 2021, the Supervisors awarded a contract for a professional assessment of the Buchanan Library building in preparation for its proposed renovation to finish the currently unfinished mezzanine and second floor levels of the building.

That study indicated multiple problems with the building, including needed plumbing and electrical upgrades, damp conditions and flooding potential in the basement, reinforcement of the second floor, and other changes to allow the library to utilize the additional space in the building.

The cost estimate for the proposed renovation was $1.5 million for construction. With the addition of design costs, furniture and fixtures, technology, and other items, the project has an estimated cost of $2.1 million.

“This is a real need for this community,” Buchanan Supervisor Amy White said of the project. “We need it not just for traditional services, but for the wi-fi.”

The county moved the library from a building on Low Street, which had flooded multiple times, in the 1990s with promises to upgrade the new facility on Buchanan’s Main Street. The renovations have been on the county’s Capital Improvement Plan for years, but never funded.

Amsterdam District Supervisor Steve Clinton called the project “an opportunity to keep [the library] going and secure it for years to come.”

                                                                                          — Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee