Renewal Project

The Library Renewal Project
A strong foundation, planning for the future.

The Remodeled and expanded library building at 205 E. Hampden Ave. opened on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2018

A Grand Opening Celebration is set for April 2019

Fine Free and Fine Foregivess Month at the New Library
New electric vehicle (EV) station available at the library

Project Timeline

November 8, 2016: Fergus Falls city residents approved a half cent local option sales and use tax to partially fund expanding and remodeling the existing library building at 205 E. Hampden Ave.
May 25, 2017: During a special City Council meeting, the Council authorized moving forward with advertising for construction bids for the project, a lease for a temporary location for the library during construction, and a request for proposals for moving services to move the library into the temporary library location at 1505 Pebble Lake Road (Heritage Building) pending legislative authorization of the half cent local option sales tax. UPDATE: The local option sales tax was signed into law on May 30.
July 11, 2017: Construction bid opening for the library was held and bids came in under budget. The Fergus Falls City Council awarded the construction contract to Comstock Construction during the July 17 Council meeting.
August 2, 2017: Temporary library opens at 1505 Pebble Lake Road. The library will operate out of this space during construction.
August 23, 2017: Library expansion Groundbreaking Ceremony.
January 1, 2018: The local option half cent sales tax for the project went into effect on this date. Click here for information on the half cent sales tax collection.
January 12, 2019: The temporary library at 1505 Pebble Lake Road will permanently close at 1 p.m.

January 22, 2019: The remodeled and expanded library at 205 E. Hampden Ave. opens.
April 2019: Grand Opening Ceremony--stay tuned for date.

The Design of the Expanded and Remodeled Library:

The design for the expanded and remodeled library includes a complete remodel of the existing square footage and an expansion of the library to a total of approximately 26,000 square feet. The design includes:

An expanded children's area with an enclosed early learning activity and programming room
Collections housed in lower shelving for accessibility
Flexible meeting/study rooms of various sizes, including a 100 person, dividable multi-purpose community room
Increased computer workstations, a technology instruction area and access to new technology
Larger accessible restrooms, including a family restroom
More lounge seating and comfortable, welcoming reading area

Archived project documents: Needs Assessment, Programming Study

Construction:

Click here to subscribe to receive construction updates via email in the library's enewsletter. Photos of the construction progress are also regularly posted to the library's facebook page: facebook.com/fergusfallspubliclibrary

Project Financing:

The Library Renewal Project is being financed via a local option sales and use tax of 1/2 of one percent (.5%), private fundraising, and a state Library Construction Grant. Construction bids for the epansion and renovation project came in below budget and total anticipated costs for the estimated $9.8 million project were reduced to $9.4 million. The Fergus Falls Public Library Foundation has raised $3 million in private gifts and pledges towards the project.

The City of Fergus Falls has been awarded a $1 million Library Construction Grant from the Minnesota Department of Education for the library expansion and remodel. The Library Construction Grant program is a competitive dollar-for-dollar matching grant program providing public libraries with funding for renovation, construction, and improvement projects that result in more accessible and energy efficient library facilities.

The remaining project expenses not covered by private fundraising or the Library Construction Grant will be paid for via the local option sales and use tax. The sales and use tax for the project went into effect January 1, 2018.

Images of the Remodeled and Expanded Library