Jan Brewington 706 South 7th Street Wilmington, NC 28401 (910)-612-6941 i ni March 1, 2020 New Hanover County Commissioners 230 Government Center Drive Suite 175, Wilmington, NC 28403 Dear Commissioners, I write today on behalf of the Library Advisory Board regarding Project Grace. While this redevelopment project promises to be a great opportunity for enhancing library services, we do have some concems and requests that are specific to the library, and our shared mission of providing an exciting destination where people gather, ideas flourish, and the information and technology resources needed for a community to prosper are made freely available. ‘The Library Advisory Board respectfully requests that: © The library building will have ample square footage as identified by a new space needs assessment. This space should include public meeting space on-site (can be shared with the Museum) and administration space either on-site or in an appropriate off-site location. © The library will continue to operate downtown during the construction process. ‘© Arepresentative from the Library Advisory Board will participate in builder/developer team meetings, beginning right away. ¢ Some version of Story Park as public green space will be a part of the, redevelopment design. New Hanover County residents appreciate our library system for its broad array of specialized services, creative children’s programming, unparalleled local history collection, great customer service and excellent staff. The downtown public library is the only truly “walkable” library in our County. | know that our shared goal is to ensure that a new downtown library features the type of facility and level of service that our community expects and deserves. seen ye