By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            In November of 2019, the Chiefland City Commission accepted a donation of land from the W.O. Beauchamp, Sr. and Macey Callaway Beauchamp Trust for expansion of the city’s library, but construction of a library addition was never started and appears to be in limbo.

            The two lots donated by the family west of the Luther Callaway Library remain vacant for now. City officials say they were told the county must apply for a construction grant because the city has no authority to apply for a grant to fund construction of a county library.

            Deputy Clerk Belinda Wilkerson said when the city inquired about obtaining a state grant to build the addition, the grant facilitator told the city that “they wouldn’t work with us.”

            “It’s in the county’s hands because they have all the information,” Wilkerson said.

            “The property is ours and Mr. Beauchamp did deed the property to us, but it’s the county library, so they’re the ones that actually have to facilitate the grant,” Cain added.

            The Luther Callaway Library building is owned and maintained by the city. The library is operated and supplied with librarians, books, and computers by the Levy County Public Library System funded by the Levy County Commission.

            Cain confirmed at the May 9 city commission meeting that the Beauchamp family deeded the property to the city and the land is in city ownership, but when asked if the addition to the library would be built, she said the matter rests in the county’s hands.

            When County Coordinator Wilbur Dean was contacted Saturday and asked what he knew about the library addition, he said he knew the land had been donated for a library expansion but he didn’t know anything else without doing research and consulting with Library Director Darlene Slattery.

            “I’ll have to check on that because I’m not sure,” Dean said.

            Wilkerson said the state hasn’t had any funding available for that type of construction project since the start of COVID-19. She said grants for library expansions are still not open for applications.

            Has the county agreed to apply for the grant?

            “They have not agreed,” Wilkerson said.

            “I haven’t spoken with anyone at the county,” Cain added.

            Why can’t the city apply for the grant?

            “That’s what we’re saying. They didn’t want us to apply for the grant. They wanted the county to apply for the grant,” Cain said.

            “But are there other grants?” a reporter asked.

            “For construction, the agreement was with the county. That’s how I understand it. During this time, COVID happened. There was no funding for it so nothing happened at that point,” Cain said. “I don’t know where the funding stands right now because it was put back in the county’s hands.”

            “There’s no notice of funding right now. They don’t know when it’s going to open,” Wilkerson said.

            Cain was asked if the Florida Division of Libraries and Information Services would give a grant of that size to fund an addition on Luther Callaway Library.

            “I have not spoken to them. I don’t know,” Cain said.

            Cain said there is a reverter clause in the land gift from the Beauchamp family that says the land goes back to the family if there is no library expansion by a certain time. Cain said she thought the deadline was “after 2023.”

——————————

City of Chiefland Regular Meeting May 9, 2022; Posted May 15, 2022