KPL to open doors to new building on Aug. 27

In a couple of weeks, the KassonPublic Library will finally get to open the doors to its new building.
On Aug. 27, the KPL will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new building. After about three years of work, the new KPL building will be home to the current library of books, as well as a number of new perks for the Kasson community.
One of the biggest advantages to this new space is the extra room it will provide, KPL Director Art Tiff mentioned. With the roomier facility, there will be more opportunities for programs, trainings and other things of that nature that the library was not able to provide in its former space. The new facility will receive a technology upgrade, with new computers, a smartboard and more. There will also be a community room that will be available to nonprofits after library hours.
While it has taken about three years to get this library up and running, the push to get a new library has been underway for much longer.
“It’s been 27 years to get this project to where we’re at today,” Tiff said. “Once it was approved to be built, but the Council, at the last minute, decided not to go through with the library.” The last minute reversal took place many years ago, Tiff noted. Once the project was approved, the Kasson City Council provided the library with over a million dollars of funding, which had been accumulating for the over two decades of time that had passed since the library started to try to establish a new building. Tiff believes that the fact that this project cost the citizens of Kasson no tax dollars is an important aspect of the project. “The building was built without having to do a referendum, to having to go back to the taxpayers to pay for this building,” Tiff said. “The money was in the bank. The building is paid for. There is no debt to the building.” After procuring the funding for the new building, a location needed to be chosen. “They wanted to put it in the old school,” Tiff said. “But because of the conditions and the cost at that time, it was not even a thought.”
Three different locations were considered for the new building, but the west park was eventually what was chosen. The new domed building is energy-efficient and also doubles as an emergency shelter for the Kasson community.
As for the dedication itself, Tiff estimates that the program will last about 15-20 minutes. Two speakers will address the crowd. Donovan Lambright will speak on behalf of Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO) and Tarik Kamel will speak on behalf of the KPL Board of Trustees. There will be a couple of dedications of benches and trees. To end the program, the winners of the KPL Summer Reading Program from both the kids and teens/tweens categories will cut the ribbon in front of the library, along with Mayor Steve Johnson.
Afterwards, every attendee will be invited into the library for refreshments and a tour of the new facility. Library staff will stick around as long as people want to see the library, according to Tiff. Once the library closes following the ribbon cutting, it will open for normal business hours the following Monday.
Saturday was chosen as the day of the ribbon cutting for a very specific reason. The library staff wanted to make sure that families would be able to attend the ribbon cutting.
The Kasson Public Library ribbon cutting will take place on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., or as long as people want to tour the building. The new building is located at 607 1st Street NW in Kasson. The KPL will be closed at its former location until the new library is open for business.