Gainesville Library Renovation Project
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

HCLS is thrilled to announce that the City of Gainesville has offered the Turner, Wood and Smith building located at 100 Brenau Avenue available as a temporary library location during the Central Library’s renovation.  The convenient location, directly across from the current library, should make the transition as simple as possible for patrons and staff.

Funds for the renovation and expansion come from local SPLOST and impact fees which will be supplemented by a $2 million grant from the state of Georgia. Project priorities include increased space for youth services, a large community room, and study room space. 

The library is so grateful to our legislative delegation for supporting our building grant, to the City of Gainesville for offering this wonderful space, and to the Hall County Commission for financially supporting this project. If you have the opportunity, please thank our officials for their support of libraries!

Renovation Q & A

When will the library relocate? We are now open for business at 100 Brenau Avenue, just across from Scott's Downtown.

Where will the library move during the renovation? The City of Gainesville has offered the library access to the Turner, Wood and Smith Insurance building located at 100 Brenau Avenue, Gainesville for $1 per month. This is located directly next to the existing library, which we hope will make the transition easier for staff and patrons.

Will you be adding more space? We expect to add about 9,000 square feet of library space to the existing facility.

What about parking? We will not lose any parking due to the expansion.

Who is the contractor? Hall County has awarded the bid for Construction Manager at Risk to Scroggs and Grizzel of Gainesville. https://www.scroggsandgrizzel.com/

Will there be library services during construction? Yes, our Gainesville Library’s public services will be moving offsite, and our other four branches will be available for business as usual.

How long will the project take? We estimate 12-18 months.

How is the project being funded? $2+ million in local SPLOST and impact fees will be supplemented by a $2 million state construction grant. 

Who is the architect? The firm Brewster and Crocker out of Gainesville was selected in Fall 2017.

Will there be library programming at the temporary location? We plan continue to offer limited programming for all ages. However, some programs will be put on hold, held at other library branches, or held offsite during construction. 

Will there be a meeting room available? The temporary location will not give us enough room to offer community meeting space; however, all other library branches will continue to offer this service. We expect to re-open the Gainesville Library with a lovely and large community room.

What are the priorities? We plan to add a large meeting room for programs and community events, add study rooms, and increase the size of the youth services area. The building will also get an overall facelift.