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Hyrum planning facelift with library-museum By
Shanna Nielsen HYRUM -- If all goes as planned, Hyrum will get a facelift. Plans for a new library-museum complex are under way; the city awaits a spacious new home for its library and museum that people say will serve as the heart of the community for generations to come. "The library we have now is 4,000 square feet and the new one will be 25,000 square feet," Librarian Ginny Tremayne said. The Hyrum Library had 4,500 books when it first moved into its current location in the basement of the city office building. Now, it has almost 40,000 books and that number is growing fast. "We're doing our utmost to provide the best possible library service to our patrons, but we're hampered by our lack of space. We've had to move out tables and chairs to make room for more bookshelves. Even then, books clutter our counter space, making it difficult to use computers, phones, and other office equipment," Tremayne said. Together with Nibley, Millville, Wellsville and Paradise the citizens of Hyrum need to raise $4.5 million to fund the revitalization of the downtown area. "The $4.5 million dollars we need to raise does not include money for books or software," said Steve Miller, co-chairman of the library fund-raising committee. "We're working on grants for the equipment. It's very difficult to find grants for bricks and boards." The proposed library complex will include ample book storage areas, staff office space, computer areas, individual study-tutorial rooms, public conference rooms, a museum area, a central parking area and a small community theater. "Eventually, we hope the new library will occupy everything from the dentist's office to Elite Hall," Mayor Gordon Olson said. Elite Hall serves as a landmark in Hyrum and will not be torn down as part of project phase I, the demoliton of downtown Hyrum. According to a brochure available at the Hyrum Library, Elite Hall was declared the best dance hall in this part of the country. Completed in 1917, it featured the only 'spring-supported' dance floor in Utah. This unique structure has been the scene of countless Saturday night dances, concerts, basketball games and even roller-skating events. The upstairs banquet room has long been a favorite site for civic and club luncheons, dinners and ntertainment. "We really want to preserve and restore the Elite Hall," said Olson, "and we have started doing so." The proposed Elite Hall restoration-preservation project will include stabilizing and refinishing the brick exterior, modernizing electrical and mechanical systems, and refinishing interior floors and walls. Completion of the entire project is hoped to be summer 2003, but it depends on when the funding comes in. "We're really calling upon the citizens of Hyrum and surrounding cities for donations," Miller said. "As part of their utility payment, citizens can make a donation to the library. We hope to get at least a $1 million contribution from Hyrum and $125,000 from each of the surrounding cities." The library will not only serve Hyrum, but the entire south end of the valley. For people from other cities who would like to use the library, a $30 fee will be charged each year. "We have wonderful representatitives from each community who promote the project to thier citizens and city councils," Miller said. "We've also organized a committee who we've sent to other libraries to to see how they recognized donors and they have come back with some great ideas." The library-museum complex project has been divided into three phases. The first phase, demolition of the old downtown area, is near completion. Phase II, fund raising, is underway and phase III is the erection of the new building. "The structure is in place, the key people are in place and phase I is almost done. We're now ready to gear up and head into phase II," Miller said.
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