Tavares council approves library StoryWalk donation and accepts $10,000 county grant; extends library interlocal agreement

The Tavares City Council on July 2 approved three measures affecting the Tavares Library: acceptance of a $10,000 Lake County Library Impact Fee Trust Fund grant to expand Florida-focused materials, allocation of a separate $10,000 private gift to install a permanent StoryWalk in Ridge Park, and a one-year extension of the city’s interlocal agreement with Lake County for library services.

The library’s application to the Lake County advisory board for $10,000 was approved unanimously by the county board and obligates the city to remain in the Lake County library system for four years after completing the collection purchase, city staff said. City staff recommended acceptance of those funds and the council voted to approve the grant by voice vote; the vote was recorded as in favor with no council member indicating opposition.

The council also considered how to use a separate anonymous $10,000 donation to the library. Staff presented three options: add the funds to the library’s book budget, expand programming, or build a permanent StoryWalk along the sidewalk at Ridge Park adjacent to the library. Rebecca Campbell, identified in the packet and speaking at the meeting as part of library staff, said the library already maintains a StoryWalk collection and that aluminum panels would be more durable than the current temporary wooden or plastic stakes. Campbell noted the donor requested the StoryWalk project. Several council members said the installation would drive families to the library and be more secure near the library than in a more remote park.

Mark O’Keefe, the city’s emergency management director, and police and fire chiefs reviewed public-safety considerations and confirmed the proposed location near the library would be subject to routine downtown surveillance, a factor staff said supported the Ridge Park recommendation. The council voted to allocate the donation for a permanent Ridge Park StoryWalk.

Finally, staff explained that the city’s prior interlocal agreement with Lake County, originally signed Sept. 10, 2019, had been extended several times in one-year increments after the three-year term expired in 2022. County officials requested another 12-month extension while they review funding metrics for annual appropriations. Council approved a one-year extension by voice vote.

Public comment included remarks from resident Vance Yocum, who praised the library collection and urged more marketing of library services, saying patrons can often find DVDs and materials for free through the countywide catalog. Council members thanked library staff for securing both the county grant and the private donation and stressed plans to leverage the new materials and the StoryWalk to increase library visitation.

The approvals were taken by voice vote; the record does not show a roll-call tally.