ROWLAND — Town commissioners breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday after coming to an agreement on a way to pay for repairs to the public library, which has been closed for nearly six months.
“This makes me so happy,” Mayor Michelle Shooter said. “A weight has been lifted, I believe, off of all our shoulders.”
The Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 to use certificates of deposits to pay the $10,000 cost for repairs to the library. Town Clerk David Townsend proposed the solution, saying the town had two existing CDs that would mature this month — one in the amount of $25,000 and one for $26,000.
“We could cash in a CD and pull out $10,000 to go towards the library,” Townsend said. “That would reduce the CDs we have on hand.”
Shooter said she and the commissioners have been making telephone calls to county commissioners and state Sen. Danny Britt looking for ways to come up with money for the library.
“There has been so many phone calls from people demanding it,” Shooter said. “A lot people rely on it not for just the books but for the computer services to apply for job applications and stuff like that.”
The library had flood damage from Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence this past fall. In November, the Robeson County Public Library’s board of directors voted unanimously to keep the library open and discussed what will be needed from the town to make repairs. Interior work that is needed includes caulking the front storefront window, replacing water-damaged Sheetrock, painting the walls and repairing the entrance. The most expensive project will be replacing the carpet, which is estimated to cost $7,000.
“With everything going on with the ISD (Innovative School District), the new energy with our elementary schools and all the things we’re trying to do, we have to have a viable library,” Shooter said. “The storm messed us up.”
The town bought paint and is inviting residents to help paint the library on March 1 beginning at 9 a.m.
“This will also save us about $1,000 in repairs,” Townsend said.
The town hopes the library will open in mid-March.
In other financial news, the commissioners heard the results of its 2018-19 audit from John Masters, of S. Preston Douglas & Associates. They learned that the town has rebuilt its year-end cash balance, which dropped under $200,000 in 2013 and has ballooned to nearly $400,000. Masters also reported that the unassigned general fund balance has doubled in the past decade.
“You can see back in 2006 and 2007 we were at a deficit,” Masters said.
Masters also congratulated the town on a 93 percent tax collection rate.
Also at Monday’s meeting, Townsend told the commissioners the town received 11 more space heaters from the Robeson County Disaster Recovery Committee to distribute to residents recovering from Hurricane Florence. Residents have until Friday to fill out an application for a heater. Town staff members will then choose the best candidates to receive the heaters. Applications are available at the town clerk’s office.
