Kanawha County Public Library Receives Grant from Truist West Virginia Foundation

The St. Albans Branch of the Kanawha County Public Library has been awarded $10,000 of grant funding by the BB&T, now Truist, West Virginia Foundation to support efforts to install a new elevator at the library. The original elevator was installed when the branch added a second floor, which now houses the children's collection, in 1971.

“We're so pleased that the Truist Foundation has selected us for this award so we can provide safe access to our children's department and community room. Our new elevator will be ADA-compliant, which involves expanding the existing elevator shaft and extensive construction work,” said Melissa Burchett, St. Albans Branch Manager. “We're grateful to the Truist Foundation and Mr. Brian Young, the Vice President and Cluster Branch Leader for the St. Albans and Cross Lanes Branches, for all of their support in making this happen.”

The estimated cost for the design and construction of the new elevator is $300,000, and the grant from BB&T, now Truist, brings the project within reach of that total amount. The St. Albans Branch Library plans to raise the remaining amount within the next two months.

Dale Withrow, St. Albans Branch Library Advisory Board Chair, and Tom Cloer, Advisory Board Facility Committee Chair, will be meeting with the architectural firm, Chapman Technical Group/GRW, to finalize the bidding documents and fix dates for soliciting bids, so that construction can start in the spring.