The Davis County Commission on Dec. 23 approved a lease to provide a temporary off-site library location while the Bountiful branch undergoes an extensive renovation.

Josh, the county library director, told commissioners the Bountiful branch will be taken "to the bones" for reconstruction and the county will use an off-site location at Liberty Hills Academy to provide library services during construction. He presented a two-year lease with a total amount given as $239,886; in prior budget discussions commissioners had discussed planning on roughly $200,000 per year.

"We will need to close that branch to renovate," Josh said, outlining additional small costs to make the temporary site ready for public use, including internet access and miscellaneous site prep. Commissioners and staff said the Bountiful branch is one of the county's busiest and that maintaining services during renovation is necessary to avoid a service gap in the south end of the county.

Commissioner Lorraine Kamalu thanked facilities and community and economic development staff for their work identifying and preparing potential sites. The commission approved the lease during the libraries portion of the agenda.

What’s next: The lease term and renovation planning will proceed under staff direction; the transcript records no detailed timeline for reopening the renovated Bountiful branch beyond the two-year lease term presented.