Printer-friendly versionSend to friend

The Kansas City, Kan., Board of Education formally approved of the public-private partnership fund for a new Argentine Branch Library last night.

Under the plan, the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools District would be responsible for 60 percent of the costs, while private fundraising would result in the remaining 40 percent required.

The new library would replace the current library, which is 7,000 square feet in size and has issues with handicap accessibility.

Depending on fundraising efforts, the library will be between 17,000 – 25,000 square feet in size.

"A good library reflects the community its in," said J.D. Rios, an assistant superintendent for the school district. "A library's not just a place to check out books but to help people who are seeking employment. We try to do that on a small scale but now it's about expanding."

So far, without a final construction plan or even a location to publicly announce, fundraising has went well.

Neighborhood leaders have raised $181,578 so far into the campaign. The goal is to raise a total of $2 million from the private sector before May 2010.

"We are very much encouraged by the support we are receiving," said Ramon Murguia, who's leading the efforts on the fundraising. "The library will remove blight from the neighborhood and could serve as a catalyst for further development."

Once fundraising is complete, a schematic design and the finalization of funding for the library will be announced.

The current library, which is a Carnegie Library, will be "repurposed" under the plan and will remain in standing.