More than 100 people turned out Thursday night for a meeting to get public input on the building of a new library.

Athens-Limestone Library Foundation Chairman Frank McCollum served as moderator for the gathering in City Council chambers.

A foundation proposal to purchase the old Kroger building and renovate it spurred the meeting to find out if there is enough public interest and support in the project to go ahead. According to McCollum it would take at least $5 million to purchase the building and do the renovations. The foundation has requested $2.5 million each from the city of Athens and Limestone County.

McCollum said that the foundation could draw money from the Southard Fund, an endowment from the late Shelby Southard, a former Athens resident, who left the library $1 million when he died 15 years ago, to purchase the building. However, the library draws $86,000 a year in interest from the fund that makes up about 20 percent of the library’s operating funds.

There seems to be a consensus that the community needs a new library. McCollum said the foundation has been exploring many funding sources, such as grants and other foundations, such as the Steelcase Foundation. He said all want to know what community support there is for the project.

“In-kind work is an investment,” said McCollum. “Funding organizations look at that.”

McCollum said that the foundation has explored many options and sites for a new library. Building a new one from the ground up would cost an estimated $200 per square foot, plus the cost of the land. He said purchase and renovation of the 40,000-square-foot Kroger building that sits on 6 1/2 acres, would work out to $100 per square foot.

“Without tearing something down, there really isn’t another site this close to the heart of town,” said McCollum.

Citizen input seemed to indicate a consensus that the community does need to have a larger library than the 36-year-old, 10,000-square-foot facility that it now has.

Athens State College Librarian Robert Burkhardt said that Huntsville Public Library received funding from individuals and companies, and named different rooms or areas of the library for the contributor.

Nan Johnson said the Huntsville library also operates a book store with volunteers to raise funds.

Frank Cauthen posed the possibility of a bond issue. Mayor Dan Williams said the debt service on a $5 million bond issue is about $300,000 a year. Coming up with that amount is easier than having to raise $5 million all at once, but it is still more than the library’s Southard Fund earns in interest.

Librarian Susan Todd said that the library gets $110 per capita per year in state aid, and by law, if the library charges for services to the public, it would lose its state aid.

Retired college professor Millie Caudle said she would not mind paying higher taxes to fund a library. However, Williams said that special taxes do not do well on local ballots.

Foundation member Harvey Craig called for a meeting of all public officials in the next 30 days to come up with a funding solution.

County Commission Chairman David Seibert said that the county is not prepared to put up $2.5 million for the project, although they support the library with a yearly appropriation.

“We try to pay or share, but we are not able to pay $2.5 million plus operating costs,” said Seibert. “There are things that we are charged with by law to do, such as a new jail, the courthouse renovations, and a board of education building. Do we want to put it on the ballot? You know the history of that.”

House District 4 Rep. Mickey Hammon, R-Decatur, ended the meeting by saying that he has been exploring state funding for the project, but, “We don’t see single source for the library,” he said.

“Once we find some money, maybe there are those we can go back to for more money, but it’s not going to happen right away. It’s a lot of money and it needs to come from a lot of different sources.”