DOWAGIAC — The Dowagiac District Library, with its exterior of red brick and its oval doorway, may soon be getting a major makeover.

The Dowagiac District library has added a millage to the ballot for summer primary election. The election will take place Aug. 7. The library will be seeking a $7.4 million bond over 20 years for the expansion and renovation of the building.

The millage is a 1 mill, which means that $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value on a property or home within the library district will be collected.  As the average taxable value of a property in the district is $70,000, the average homeowner would pay $70 a year. The millage will generate approximately $523,000 in its first year.

“This is something we have been thinking about for a long time,” said Library Director Matt Weston. “We are pretty excited about it.”

Should the millage pass, the money will be used to nearly double the space of the library by adding an addition to the back side of the structure. More meeting rooms will be added, in addition to special quiet spaces, teen spaces and vending areas. A more convenient outside book drop and a space that can be accessed after hours will also be added.

“These are things patrons have been asking us for,” Weston said. “And with the addition to more space, we would add more programing as well. … We would be able to provide more to the community.”

The final stage of the renovation, which will be done in stages so that the library can remain open during construction, will involve removing the front of the library to restore it to a 1904 Carnegie style.

“That is something the board has been hearing for almost a decade,” Weston said. “People really want that restored to the old style.”

Now is the right time for the library to expand, as more space is needed in order to provide a good experience for the community, Weston said. Though Weston said the number of books checked out of the library has remained flat, the number of visits have been steadily rising for at least six years.

“The library has expanded its scope of operations from just books and answering questions to having computers and programming,” he said. “We are almost functioning as a community center at this point. We have been trying to keep up with those demands for other services. Right now, we don’t really have the space and it would be nice, and I’m sure people would appreciate, having the space to do those things and have more programs.”

Should the millage pass, Weston believes that the expansion project could break ground in the summer of 2019 and be completed in mid to late 2020.

Should the millage not pass, Weston said he and the library staff will reevaluate and go back to the community to seek input about what would pass.

“We want to keep looking ahead to see what we can do to create more space here,” he said.

Though Weston and the library board do have a backup plan in place, Weston said he is hopeful that the August millage will pass.

“I’m a bit biased, because I see people who go to the library, but I’ve heard very positive things, both in the library and out in the community,” Weston said. “I do think [the expansion] would benefit the community. The library has many resources for the community, and we want to provide more resources and a better place to use them.”