Library receives $1.1 million ‘birthday present’

Port Washington Library Director Tom Carson said Tuesday he was still in a bit of shock after learning the Niederkorn Library will receive a $1.1 million grant from the state Department of Administration — a grant that will fund renovations to 35% of the library building.

Gov. Tony Evers was to visit the library on Wednesday for a tour of the facility with Carson and Mayor Ted Neitzke, seeing firsthand how the money awarded through the Department of Administration’s Flexible Facilities Prgram will be used.

“I still can hardly believe it. This is a great birthday present for the library,” Carson said, referencing the fact the library recently celebrated its 125th year in the community.

“The grant will help us create flexible spaces and really update our technology.”

The grant, Carson noted, was highly sought, with facilities across the state seeking $300 million in funding from a grant program with only $107 million to award. Ozaukee County received a $749,000 grant to expand the Ozaukee Nonprofit Center.

The library’s grant will allow the city to make needed changes to the building, which Carson said is showing its age.

“This is not a complete building renovation, but we’ll be able to get a lot of stuff done,” he said. “We’re going to focus on things that really need to get done.”

Those improvements were identified by an architectural firm three or four years ago, Carson said.

There will be major changes on the main level of the library, he said, with virtually everything rearranged.

The grant will fund new flooring, a new, smaller checkout desk and the creation of two study rooms and a group study room — something Carson said patrons have been asking for. One of the rooms will be set up for telemedicine, he added.

All the library’s technology, including its computers, will be updated, he said.

“We’ll have the newest standard Wi-Fi and broadband will be updated,” Carson said, adding this will help people using the library for work and school.

A significant number of electrical outlets will be added and a charging station installed so people can use and charge their devices.

The entire print collection will be re-examined, Carson said, noting that with the advent of the internet the library’s non-fiction collection “just doesn’t circulate the way it used to.”

“Our goal is to have an up-to-date, relevant print collection,” he said, noting there will be a section of books on jobs and careers, health and technology.

Lower bookcases are planned, giving patrons a better, more inviting view from the library’s expansive windows and creating a more welcoming facility.

“We want the floor to be more browse-able,” he said.

On the lower level, the bathrooms will be updated and a separate children’s bathroom added that can be accessed from the children’s library, Carson said.

In addition, the community room will be updated and the kitchen revamped.

“In an emergency, it can serve as an emegency shelter,” Carson said. “Given what’s happening in other parts of the country, I think that’s important.”

Carson noted that the funds need to be spent by October 2026. To meet that deadline, he said, a building committee will be created to oversee the project and hire an interior designer, architects and contractors.

He hopes work will begin in March, adding that while there may be times when the library is closed — such as when new flooring is installed — he expects the building will be open through much of the work.