The Friends of the Ellsworth Pulbic Library are embarking on a fundraising program now that paperwork has been signed for the Village of Ellsworth purchase of the BMO Harris Bank Building a couple blocks west on Main Street from the current bank location.

The bank closed its doors last spring, and that got the library’s Building committee’s focus changed from renovating and expanding the current library building.

The village has agreed to purchase the building for $425,000. It is currently being inspected and the property was surveyed, Village Attorney Robert Loberg told the Village Board Monday night.

BMO Harris had been asking for $525,000 for the building, but it was negotiated to the lower amount. The library has already set aside that amount for facility improvements. The village board in Decmember agreed it will put $500,000 into the library project in the new facility – which it has to borrow – when the library has raised $350,000 for renovation of the building.

The plans for renovation of the current site was put at $2.8 million.

It was projected that the village share of paying for the project will impact the average Ellsworth home at $27 annually for 20 years.

Library Director Tiffany Meyer reported to the village board that the fundraising campaign wheels are in motion.

“Fundraising is well underway,” she told Village Board members.

Organizations have been contacted already for grants that can go toward the library’s share of the project. The Friends of the Library plan to put an online donation feature on their website.

An additional savings account has been set up at Associated Bank for the project, and the local firm, Limelight Social Media, has been hired by the Friends of the Library Group for fundraising for the building projects.

As an aside, they could really use someone to help shovel the snow the current library building. It’s been a topic of discussion at Library Board and Village Board meetings for multiple months.

Meyer said they have had a couple inquiries, but if you’d like to help out, let her know.

The pay for the positon was hiked by the library board at its last meeting to $15 per hour.