A sales agreement announced earlier this week means a new Wilmington library location is on its way.
Gov. John Carney announced the sales agreement for land to house a new Wilmington Library at 3905 North Market Street - the current site of the vintage Saab dealership.
It provides enough land for site development and increased parking.
The $22 million in funding was secured in Fiscal Years 2022-2023 Bond Bills and American Rescue Plan Act funds.
State Librarian Dr. Annie Norman says getting a new library is a wonderful development.
"It's super exciting first of all of course for literacy which is the foundation for many other goals in life, but also for supporting people and getting jobs and entrepreneurship. I'm sure there'll be a maker space of some sort in this new facility,” said Norman. “So it'll provide a lot of services."
Norman adds the next steps include an environmental review of the property and then the purchase, and as part of the agreement the current owner of the site has access for up to 18 months. There’s no date yet for when the new library will open.
Norman says that gives plenty of time for planning.
"Still got a ways out yet before we'll actually be able to open the doors to the library, but that gives everyone a lot of time to plan and do all the work that's needed to support that library," said Norman.
In a statement, State Sen. Darius Brown says the library will help youngsters falling through the cracks of the education system, and it will give children in marginalized communities better opportunities to succeed.
State Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha in a statement says investing in this library they’re working to improve graduation rates while reducing crime on the streets so more kids end up on a path to successful lives.
