BUCHANAN — On Friday afternoon, a crowd of about 50 people gathered on the west side of the Buchanan District Library to celebrate the beginning of a renovation project that has been years in the making.

Donning hard hats and grabbing gold-colored shovels, city leaders and library board members officially broke ground on phase two plans to upgrade the downtown building, located at 128 E. Front St.

Prior to tossing dirt to the wind, a ceremony took place in which several key project leaders addressed the crowd and helped people to envision the changes to come.

Barbara Gordon, the director of the Buchanan District Library, said the local library, has had modest beginnings. Today, it offers the community thousands of books and media to choose from. Last year alone, more than 50,000 people visited the library.

“We are growing, we are busy and we need this space,” Gordon said. “So, this is a big day for us.”

Construction on the project, which will be completed by Pearson Construction, is expected to cost just under $775,000. It will include renovations to the Front Street entrance of the library. That entrance is currently not accessible to library patrons and people must enter through the back door of the building. The new entrance will be modeled similarly to a vintage movie theater marquee, with a canopy and new lighting.

Phase two will also include the addition of a glass elevator affixed to the west side of the building. This will provide easier access to the second floor of the library, where a local history room is currently housed. This aspect of the project will also help to pave the way for phase three of the renovations, which will include upgrades to the second floor and the creation of a roughly 1,418-square-foot community room with a kitchen and two 145-square-foot coffee bars. Phase three is approximated to cost about $415,000.

Mayor Brenda Hess also addressed the crowd Friday. When she had young children, Hess said she frequented the library to take advantage of the activities that they offered to the community. Since then, she said she has seen the library change and grow with the city of Buchanan.

“I think of all the improvements in technology and the way we communicate,” Hess said. “Our library is in the heart of the city. Now, we are making it more accessible to our friends that have trouble with mobility, getting them up to the second floor to see all the history that is up there.”

Bill Marx, the city manager, said when the upgrades to the building are complete, it will match the positivity that happens on the inside of the building. 

“You look at this building and you can’t judge a book by its cover,” Marx said. “Because I know what happens inside these walls and it’s incredible. We have a great opportunity to put a new cover on our book.”

Since launching the Open Doors, Open Books, Open Minds campaign in 2013, Gordon said more than $1 million has been invested into the library’s building and included masonry, a new roof and renovations to the first floor. Gordon thanked the community for their efforts in raising some of the funding. She said they would be looking to the community again to raise money for phase three.

“Once that room [for phase three] is completed, this library is going to serve members of Buchanan in ways we can’t even imagine yet,” Gordon said.