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Paulding County library staff present usage data and ask board to sign state construction grants for Dallas expansion and Yorkville branch
Summary
Library coordinator Morgan Wilson presented circulation, patron and program statistics and asked the board to authorize two Georgia Public Library Service construction grant applications: one to expand the Dallas branch and another to fund a new Yorkville library site acquisition.
Morgan Wilson, library coordinator for Paulding County’s four-branch system, presented fiscal-year statistics and asked the Board of Commissioners to authorize applications for state library construction grants.
Wilson said the four libraries circulated more than 500,000 items last fiscal year and that the system’s patron count was "almost 230,000"; she projected circulation could exceed 600,000 and patronage more than 250,000 in the current fiscal year. Wilson described program growth (more than 1,500 programs and over 32,000 program attendees last year) and said branches are overcrowded, especially the Dallas library, which faces parking constraints that force some attendees to park at a nearby park and walk.
"Everything is free," Wilson told the board, listing outreach numbers, Wi‑Fi sessions and the system's 100,000 current library cardholders. She estimated the items checked out by patrons represented about $10,000,000 in retail value if purchased instead of borrowed.
Miss Pollard presented two Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS) construction-grant opportunities. For the Dallas library she said the county requested a $3,000,000 maximum grant; the grant structure includes a 10% match for the first $1,000,000 and a 50% match for the next $2,000,000. The estimated total project cost presented was $4,600,000, including a state share of $1,900,000 and a local match of $1,100,000; the expansion would add roughly 4,000 square feet and expand the children's area. Pollard noted the grant as presented does not specifically include additional parking, though the county recognizes parking must be addressed.
For Yorkville, Pollard said the county identified a need for a new library and is pursuing a separate GPLS construction grant request for $3,000,000. The county does not yet have an exact site but anticipated using property acquisition as part of the local match; the grant term allows five years for fund expenditure.
The transcript records the statistics, grant-application details and parking concerns; it does not record a formal recorded vote on either construction-grant authorization during this work session.
