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PIERRE, S.D. — The City of Huron has been awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in the amount of $257,500 to go toward an addition to the city library, Gov. Mike Rounds announced.
“This expansion will be a tremendous asset to the people of Huron and its surrounding areas,” said Gov. Rounds. “Anytime we can use our already existing resources to better serve the people of South Dakota, we are glad to do it.”
The city’s plans call for a 9,393 square-foot addition to the existing library. The addition will provide space for the library’s growing children’s, young adult, Spanish, audio book, DVD and large print collections. There will also be a handicapped-accessible meeting room, which will allow community programs such as the summer reading program to be expanded.
The new space will also include additional seating and a public reading area that will provide more “personal space” for patrons wishing to read while at the library. There will also be public access to computers and workstations with wireless connections for those who wish to access the Internet.
“This expansion has been a high-priority issue for Huron’s city government because of the degree in which the library is used,” said state Senator Tom Hansen, District 22. “Any time you have a project that is for the public good and can improve the quality of life for residents, the expenditure is worthwhile. Huron’s library staff makes every effort possible to ensure that the materials available are in line with what the people want to have access to, and they do get used a lot.”
The CDBG program provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. Past grants have been used to make improvements to or construct community buildings, fire halls, water systems, and sewer systems.
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