Now that the demolition of a home on McCabe Street has been completed in the coastal community of Selbyville, Del, construction can begin soon on the town's new and expanded $16 million public library.

The demo work was needed to clear the property located behind, and purchased by, the Selbyville Public Library so the larger structure could be built.

Coastal Point, a weekly news source for Delaware's southeastern beach communities, reported Sept. 21 that an additional 1,000 sq. ft. will be added to the new library's original layout, bringing its total amount space to 14,000 sq. ft. The planned facility will be located behind the existing library on South Main Street.

"The next step now is to continue with preparation of the site, and then [construction crews] will do the parking lot between the house and where the library is currently," Selbyville Public Library Director Kelly Kline told the Coastal Point.

She added that the new library is expected to be finished by the fall of 2024.

Approximately $7 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds are being used to pay for its construction, to be augmented by matching funds from a bond bill and the library's own fundraising efforts. In addition, library officials are seeking grants to purchase and install solar panels.

As of Sept. 18, another $500,000 was needed and will be raised by selling bricks and offering naming opportunities, Kline told the local publication.

"It's a great feeling to look out the window and see the fence around the site," she said. "It's just nice that the question has changed from ‘When does it start?' to ‘When will it be finished?'"

New Project Took Longer to Realize Than Anticipated

Initially, ground was broken for a new Selbyville library in October 2022 with the goal of opening the facility in the early winter of this year, but construction never began on that original project. Two months later, Kline said the opening date would be delayed because of significantly higher costs than originally projected.

In the meantime, the McCabe Street lot — which encompasses about one and a half city blocks — became available for sale, allowing for an upgraded plan and "allowing us to have a better building overall," she noted.

In March, the library spent $440,000 of its own funds to buy the house and lot on McCabe Street.

"By adding 15 parking spaces to the parking lot [we] will have 27 parking spaces [in total]," she explained. "Parking is a big deal in Selbyville. We had 12 spaces originally, because we were zoned urban residential. Also, with the new plan, in 20 to 30 years, this building will be in a better situation to put on an addition if it needs one. It makes for a better design in general."

Once the new library is finished, the older facility will be donated to the Selbyville Historical Society, which was just formed last spring.

Scott Collins, president of the historical society, told the Coastal Point that the old library's space will be used for community meetings and events.

The original plan was to demolish the two newer sections of the existing library and preserve only the historic part — the former home of Delaware Gov. John G. Townsend, who was in office from 1917 to 1921. Now, Townsend's former home will be made into a museum.

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