Griggs County board hears plan to buy, renovate building to double library space; state library urges approval

GRIGGS COUNTY, N.D. — At a public hearing on April 6, the Griggs County library board presented plans to buy and renovate a nearby building to expand services, saying the project would roughly double the library’s floor space and improve accessibility and program capacity.

Library representatives told county officials they are completing blueprints with a local contractor (working with Carrington Lumber) and awaiting firm cost estimates from banks and subcontractors before asking the county to approve the purchase. "The first step, of course, is blueprints," a library representative said, and the board asked to remain on the agenda in two weeks to present updated numbers.

The proposal drew support from the North Dakota State Library. "The state library strongly supports the proposed purchase and renovation," said Brienne Meyer, who represented the state library at the hearing. Meyer said expanded space would help advance literacy, digital inclusion and workforce development and that state library staff can help the local board find and apply for grants and technical assistance.

Why it matters: Library spokespeople and public commenters said the current building is overcrowded during story hours and programs, limits the library’s ability to serve children, teens and adults, and fails to meet ADA-access standards in places. Expanding to the new building, they said, would create dedicated children’s and teen spaces, room for technology and programming and safer circulation routes for patrons.

Financial and procedural details: The library said it plans a financing mix of existing levy funds, fundraising by a revived "Friends" group and foundations, targeted grants and a bridging bank loan. Speakers noted that state construction and renovation grants typically fund interior work — shelving, equipment and programming — but not the purchase of a building. The library reported a recent small award for equipment (a $5,000 maker-space grant) and said state grants of up to $10,000 exist for North Dakota libraries; a participant also referenced larger state grant activity in other areas (a $250 million state grant program) as an example of evolving funding opportunities.

County commissioners repeatedly urged caution. Several members said they would like to see detailed, line-item cost estimates and contractor bids to reduce the risk of change orders or a half-finished project. Commissioners asked the library board to return with firm numbers at the next meeting or to call county staff to reschedule if estimates were not ready.

On accessibility and condition: Presenters described the proposed building as a large shell once seller-owned shelving and machinery are cleared; they said nonstructural dividing walls could come down, creating flexible, multiuse rooms. They also described current hazards at the existing site — shelving packed less than two feet apart and heavy doors that limit wheelchair access — and said the purchase would allow the library to meet ADA clearances and better separate noisy program spaces from quiet areas.

Next steps: The library board will continue work with Carrington Lumber and subcontractors to finalize blueprints and bids and planned to provide updated numbers to the county in about two weeks. The public hearing portion ended without a formal vote on the purchase; the only formal action recorded in the transcript was a motion to adjourn the meeting, which passed.

"We want to make sure we dot all the i's and t's," one commissioner said, urging careful budgeting and oversight before any purchase proceeds.