The City of Emporia will be hosting guided tours of the Carnegie Library in downtown Emporia later this month.
The library will be open Tuesday, Jun. 21 at 2 pm and Thursday, Jun. 23 at 10 am for this purpose with all tours lasting approximately 30-minutes. The tours come after the city received a letter from Jason and Cassie Heffron expressing interest in the building with hopes to repurpose it into an event venue.
The letter triggered a process where anyone interested in the property can submit a formal proposal to the city. Proposals are being accepted now through noon Jul. 25.
Monday’s announcement came as the Emporia Public Library officially announced plans to request more space for its operations, including the Carnegie Library and another building immediately north of it owned by the city. A letter to be presented to the city during its meetings Wednesday does not address the exact square footage needed, but it does request space for parking, a children’s destination area, a teen safe zone, an auditorium-style meeting room and staff work areas in addition to the other buildings mentioned.
As part of the space request, the library is asking that an outside firm specializing in library structures be hired to help with the strategic planning process. The letter also mentions ongoing concerns about air conditioning, bathrooms and building entrances that need to be addressed with the current library.
Before sitting vacant the past several years, the Carnegie was the location for the Lyon County Historical Society. Before that, it served as Emporia’s public library.
For more information on tours, contact Kevin Hanlin by calling 620-343-4294.
