The Pueblo City-County Library District has launched a capital campaign to raise $2 million for major expansions of the Barkman Library and Patrick A. Lucero Library branches.
Expanding the two library branches is expected to cost nearly $9 million. Construction has been underway at the Barkman Library, 1300 Jerry Murphy Road, since August 2023 to add a pedestrian bridge connecting to the nearby Belmont Park and over 2,600 square feet of space accommodating library-goers of all ages. The cost of improvements to the Barkman Library is about $4.5 million.
Closed since Aug. 1, 2023, the Barkman Library is scheduled to reopen with a Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a week of festivities and events, according to a PCCLD news release. The Lucero Library, 1315 E. 7th St., will close for construction Aug. 4 and will reopen sometime in summer 2025, PCCLD Director of Community Relations Nick Potter told the Chieftain .
While the Barkman Library has served the Belmont community since 1990, Lucero Library has stood on the East Side since 2014.
"Some people might be thinking, 'Why is a library that new being renovated so quickly?'" Potter said. "The big reason is that we've outgrown our footprint and this library has seen the amount of traffic that a lot of our larger libraries, like our Barkman Library, see."
About 2,500 square feet will be added to the Lucero Library to increase the branch to a total square footage of about 10,000. This will allow for the creation of a larger meeting room space, additional space for children and teens, and a maker space, along with an audio and visual studio.
How community members can give to the 'Building Community Together' fundraising campaign
PCCLD launched the "Building Community Together Capital Campaign" on Wednesday, July 17. The campaign had raised about $550,000 by Friday afternoon. Individuals can donate to the campaign by visiting pueblolibrary.org/capitalcampaign and clicking the yellow "Giving Opportunities" banner.
Enterprise Zone Tax Credit opportunities are provided for those who donate $250 or more. Prices for naming rights to rooms and amenities, including the Barkman Library Pedestrian Bridge and Lucero Library Maker Space, also can be found at pueblolibrary.org/capitalcampaign .
"Through improved facilities, library programs, and a great selection of print and digital books, we aim to ensure that there is something for everyone at Pueblo’s libraries," said Sherri Baca, PCCLD executive director, in a news release. "We are committed to continually improving library services and facilities in our community.”
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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo library district raising funds for big expansions of two libraries
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