- May 15, 2024
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Flagler County will receive a $500,000 grant to build a new library facility in Bunnell.
The library has applied for the state-funded $500,000 grant for eight years in a row and was ranked number one for the grant each year, but this is the first year the state is funding the grant and the county is in a position to accept it.
During a quarterly update on the library’s status at a June 19 County Commission meeting, Flagler County Public Library Board of Trustees Chair Jim Ulsamer asked the commission to have the new library facility built at its originally planned 22,000-square-foot size, rather than the 12,000-square foot size the county had proposed to save on construction costs.
The building, tentatively slated for land near the Flagler County Government Services Building, would also house some Health and Human Services functions.
But 90% of the proposed reduction in square footage, Ulsamer said, came from the library’s portion of the building.
“The library has been resource constrained for a long period of time,” Ulsamer said.
Library Director Holly Albanese told the Observer that although the overall floor plan stayed the same, “about 9,000 square feet was actually taken from the library.”
The county’s growing population warrants the larger size, Ulsamer said.
The county initially expected to finish the library in the summer of 2024, but construction was delayed until 2025.
The county shifted the existing Bunnell branch library to a smaller building — an 1,100 square foot location on State Road 100 — in 2021 to prepare for the new facility.
That move was supposed to be temporary, but the library has now been there for two years, Ulsamer said.
Even though space is tight, people are still attending, though they’re not staying as long, Albanese said.
The limited space does mean the location can’t hold services like kids reading groups or other activities, she said.
In fact, the libraries are getting more traffic.
In April, Ulsamer said, circulation was up 14% from the previous year and traffic was up 11%. In May, circulation increased 20.5% from May 2022, and traffic increased 10%.
But despite the rise in use, the library’s Palm Coast branch cut its hours in March.
“The staffing got so tight that they had no choice but to reduce the operating hours,” Ulsamer said.
The library’s tentative budget is $1.8 million: $1.6 million for the main branch in Palm Coast and just under $200,000 for the Bunnell branch.
Like every other county budget, it has increased due to a cost-of-living adjustment, health insurance increases and other rising administration costs.
The library’s passport service has brought in over $1.1 million in revenue since 2007 when, Albanese implemented the program.
This fiscal year, Ulsamer said, it is expected to bring in a record $175,000 in revenue.
It’s understandable that the county has to prioritize public safety, Ulsamer said, but with the growth in population, the library is “way behind.”
“The staff is doing a yeoman’s job keeping the place running,” Ulsamer said. “People should take a good, hard look at it and think about what they want for this community.”
The Flagler County Commission has decided to place a deposit on a new helicopter that will eventually replace the 25-year-old Fire Flight emergency helicopter.
The new helicopter will cost $5.4 million, part of which will be paid for with Fire Flight’s $600,000 trade-in value.
The new helicopter is three months away from being completed, and the commission unanimously agreed to pay a 10% deposit of $540,000 to reserve it.
County Administrator Heidi Petito brought the option before County Commission at its June 19 budget workshop and regular meeting for approval.
The 10% deposit would come out of reserves the county government has already set aside for a replacement helicopter.
The county has $1.5 million in its general fund reserve for a replacement helicopter, Petito said.
Should the purchase go through, the county could have the helicopter in the fall.
The county had the option to delay the purchase until next year, but that would increase the cost by close to $500,000.
