IONIA, Mich. — The Ionia Community Library is getting closer to having a new home, but it needs a little more help from the community to make the move happen.
WATCH: Ionia Community library closes in on funding for new downtown location
The former Mercantile Bank building downtown was donated to become the library's new location. Now, the library is working to raise the final $100,000 needed to reach its fundraising goal.
"We can see the light at the end of the tunnel," said Toni Buys, president of the Ionia Community Library Foundation.
For Buys, the project is personal. The Ionia native says the library has been part of her life for as long as she can remember.
"My mom was on the library board 1979-1995," Buys said.
She says conversations about finding the library a new home started decades ago.
Buys eventually followed in her mother's footsteps by joining the library board and helping lead fundraising efforts for the move from the historic Hall-Fowler House to the former Mercantile Bank building.
In March, the library received a $2.1 million grant to help fund the project. However, the grant required the library to raise an additional $2.1 million in matching funds by the following March.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ionia Community Library relocation plans hit financial road block
Since then, the foundation has raised $500,000, and the library secured another $1.5 million grant in October. That leaves the library just $100,000 short of its matching goal.
"This process, we wouldn't have gotten here without the community," said Joelle Letts, the grant consultant who helped the library secure the additional funding.
Library Director Dale Parus says excitement around the project continues to grow as the fundraising campaign nears its goal.
"You can see it in the reactions of the patrons as they would come into the library, 'Oh, you're so close now. Oh, we just have to get over the hump. How can we help a little bit?'" Parus said.
The new location would give the library more room to serve the community and expand its resources.
David O'Mara, an Ionia resident, says a strong library can play an important role in a thriving community.
"If you go across the county or even the state and you look at these communities that are really vibrant, they have a beautiful library," O'Mara said.
Among the planned improvements, the new space would allow the library to at least double the number of computers available for public use.
That added access could make a difference for residents who rely on the library for internet access and other resources.
"Sometimes people literally park on the streets to use our Internet or they're on our side porch and at least they could come inside and use them here," said Gale Yeomans, president of the Ionia Community Library Board.
Ionia resident Samantha Ringler says she relied on the library's computers while she was in school.
"I didn't have a computer at home, I didn't have internet, and so I needed to do homework for my AP classes," Ringler said.
When could the new library open?
If the library reaches its fundraising goal, construction and renovations are expected to take about two years before the new location opens to the public.
Buys says the wait will be worth it.
"I think it'll be a great benefit to the community and lots of people," she said.
The library is still looking for community support to reach its final $100,000 fundraising goal. You can click here to donate.
