By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            Levy County Library Services Director Darlene Slattery says she hasn’t had time to research issues related to Chiefland and its desire to build a library addition but she said Chiefland hasn’t reached out to her in the seven months she’s worked as the county’s chief librarian.

            Chiefland City Manager Laura Cain and Deputy Clerk Belinda Wilkerson told city commissioners two weeks ago that they had been told that the city wouldn’t be able to apply for a state grant to build a library addition because the Luther Callaway Library was operated by the Levy County Public Library System, not the city.

            Cain said she personally hadn’t been in touch with the county or the state on the issue.

            Land for the addition to the library was donated by the W.O. Beauchamp, Sr. and Macey Callaway Beauchamp Trust with the understanding that if the addition wasn’t built, ownership of the property on the west side of the library would revert back to the family after 2023.

            Slattery said she discovered while working on the Bronson Public Library’s issues that the only library grants, that she knows about at this point, are those for libraries being built for the first time on land that had never been the site of a library previously, but she said she hasn’t had time to look into Chiefland’s issues.

            She said the interview with Spotlight, which took place after the May 17 Levy County Commission meeting, was the first time she personally spoke to anyone about Chiefland other than talking to a library assistant in Chiefland who said someone had mentioned it to her.

            “This technically is the first time I heard of this. The library assistant in Chiefland mentioned it to me because someone mentioned it to her. She’s there doing some research and forwarding it to me. I don’t know what grants the city is talking about until I dig into it,” Slattery said. “The only grant funding I have seen that has anything to do with libraries is a brand-new build, not for an addition, not to refurbish or anything like that.”

            Slattery said she is focused on working with Bronson for now but she is hoping things will be wrapped up soon with that city library. The Bronson Library was closed for a time and has cosmetic issues that town has been asked to correct.

            “If I can find any other avenues of funding for Chiefland’s library we’ll go down that road. I’m going to fix one headache (in Bronson) before I move to the next,” she said. “Hopefully it won’t be much longer. We’re getting into the budget with the county and this is my first budget I’ve worked on with the county.”

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Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt May 23, 2022; Posted May 23, 2022