Grand Opening Coming Soon!
Grand Opening Saturday, June 16!
Renovations on the Ruth Culver Community Library are expected to be complete by June 2012! The Village Board approved awarding the bid for the project to Miron Construction, the lowest bidder. Learn more about the new preliminary plans for the future Ruth Culver Community Library.
An additional $25,000 is still needed to complete the project. Become part of the story by showing your support by making a gift which will help make this amazing opportunity possible! Thank you to those who have already chosen to be part of the story!
Ruth Culver was a co-founder of Culver's Frozen Custard Restaurants along with her husband George, son Craig and his wife, Lea. Ruth was known for her warmth and hospitality, always taking care of her guests and making them feel welcomed.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the Ruth Culver Community Library be open?
The Grand Opening Celebration will be Saturday, June 16!
How is fundraising going?
An additional $25,000 is still needed to complete the project. We have had wonderful community support of the project, but additional funds are still needed to complete the project including providing shelving and needed furniture. Funding availability will be crucial in determining which features we will be able to have in the new library. More than $1.45 million has already been raised in support of the future Ruth Culver Community Library! Thank you to all those who have already chosen to be part of the story! This is in addition to the generous gift of the building made by Culver Franchising System, Inc. and contribution from the Village of Prairie du Sac.
Where is the project now?
Renovations began this fall. The Village Board voted to award the bid for the project to Miron Construction after incorporating a number of cost savings options. After these options have been included, an additional $25,000 is still needed to complete the project; this is great news after the original bids came back over $500,000 over budget estimates.
One major cost savings option that was implemented was a redesign of the driveway required to provide emergency access to the river and waterfront properties. Originally, it was hoped to redesign and relocate this to the end of the municipal lot nearest to Eagleview Dental to plan for the future. However, due to cost savings the driveway will be moved only as far as necessary to allow for the addition on the building. To address safety concerns, access will be limited to emergency vehicles, property owners and pedestrians. Other cost savings options focused on changes to materials and finishings which allowed the project budget to be reduced without affecting the size or services in the library.
Can the library re-use its existing furniture and shelving?
Yes! We plan to re-use as much of our existing furniture as possible to reduce costs. You can expect to see our tables and chairs in the new library! Additional furniture will be required to complete the expanded space and provide additional seating and room to work. Shelving is one item that we do need to purchase. The sizes and quanitites of shelving will be very different in the new library and the shelving we currently have does not meet the need. For example, shelving heights in the children's area will be restricted to a particular height due to building code requirements and we do not currently have enough shelving of that height to meet the needs. Since we plan to be in our new space for a very long time, we want to make sure to have durable, functional and attractive furniture and finishings which will hold up to the many visitors that the library has each day.