- Wakulla County is growing. This could mean a bigger library may be in the works.
- The Wakulla County Library is hoping to receive a $4 million grant.
- Watch the video to see how crucial of a role the library plays in the community.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Wakulla County Library Advisory Board hoping for a $4 million grant.
If the grant is awarded, Wakulla County Library Director Linda Oaks says she hopes it would mean a new facility.
`"We're just kind of waiting and seeing and hoping that it comes to fruition and that way we can provide even more better technological, tele-med appointments anything like that with a new facility."
Oaks told me if they do receive the grant and can expand there would be more space and more of a central location for the community to access.
"Then we would have a complete community hub we would have our library and then of course the community center space then it would be all right there in the middle of of the community and everyone can come and enjoy."
Oaks also tells me the children's programs have grown so much that they've had to move it to another space.
"That way if we had a new facility we could expand to hopefully get an actual children's programming space that would be bigger than what we have now."
The expansion would also help provide more space for new and old materials.
"We've pretty much revamped on everything we could for our our current collection so that way we can offer more physical items for patrons."
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, Wakulla County's estimated 2023 population is 34,661 and growing by 0.87 percent in the past year. With the county growing people like Andy Riddle say the library should grow along with it to service the more people who are using it.
"Expanding that would be huge for the community."
Riddle tells me there's many people in the county who rely on resources here at the library.
"I saw cars pulling up and parking in the parking lot so they could use the library's Wi-Fi"
Others who live in the county agree that a newly improved library would be a valuable addition.
"The library is really the hub of all community based activities in the county."
Steve Sanabria enjoys spending time in the library. He says it's one of the most important places in Wakulla County for people who live there.
"Anything that they can do expand and grow would be incredibly well received and valued by the county."
Oaks tells me they will find out if they'll be receiving the grant sometime in January. For now they're offering a variety different programs to get involved with!
