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Sunbury community library seeks $19M bond; board to consider resolution June 16
Summary
The Sunbury Community Library presented a plan for a roughly 13,000-square-foot expansion and asked the school district to place a bond request before voters; the board scheduled next steps and approved a trustee appointment.
Chauncey Montgomery, representing the Sunbury Community Library, told the Big Walnut Local Schools Board of Education on May 19 that the library has seen sustained growth and is proposing a 13,000‑square‑foot expansion with an estimated cost of about $20 million and a bond‑request principal of $19 million.
Montgomery said the library’s service population grew from about 15,000 when the Burr Drive facility opened in 1994 to roughly 25,000 now, and use has risen: about 175,000 visitors, 26,000 program attendees and about 300,000 circulations in the last year. The library’s board has approved a resolution asking the district to submit a bond issue to voters for renovation and construction, with a term not to exceed 30 years.
Montgomery described community input and prior improvements: a 2,000‑square‑foot addition in 2017 that was funded from the library’s capital fund without a levy. For the current plan, he said the expansion would address five community needs identified in surveys and focus groups: more meeting rooms, group study rooms, expanded children’s space, a separated teen collection, and flexible outdoor space for programs.
Board President Graziosi and staff said the district will follow the library’s requested timeline: the board will consider a resolution of necessity at the June 16 meeting, certify details to the county auditor (which will compute millage), and on June 26 consider a resolution to proceed that would be filed with the Board of Elections; officials noted the deadline to file for the November ballot is July 29.
Separately, the board voted to appoint Lee Weber to the Community Library Board of Trustees to fill an unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2029.
Montgomery said the library prepared a conservative 2026 tax budget and flagged the state budget as an unknown that could affect future library funding; he said staffing and program costs still make up most of the library’s budget. The board did not certify any bond language on May 19; it set the June calendar milestones the library requested.
