Greetings from the Great Bend Public Library! We have some exciting news to share this week. The first phase of construction to improve the accessibility of our building has been completed. This improvement project was made possible with funding from the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities Grant and the Whelan Endowment Grant. These grants have allowed us to upgrade our building’s access points to meet ADA standards.
The ramp now has a much gentler slope, making it easier to navigate with mobility devices. We have also added three new curb cutouts. The first is near our book drop, allowing access to the ramp at the north entrance. The second is at the base of our newly improved ramp leading to the main entrance. The third is on the other side of our north entrance, which leads to where the stairs previously were. They have been removed to allow future installation of our planned platform lift.
The lift is a project we are working on now with funding from the third round of the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities Grant, the Whelan Endowment Grant, and also funding from the Golden Belt Foundation through the Spring Community Building Grant. When this project is done, we will have a platform lift that wheelchair users and others with mobility devices will be able to utilize to get into the building quickly and safely. For example, someone in a self-propelled wheelchair or on crutches could use one of the ramps to get in the building but might find it difficult or exhausting to do so. The lift will allow them easier and more reliable access to our building.
In addition to our upcoming platform lift project, we are also adding several more handicap spaces to our parking lot. Two will be added by the north entrance, near the ramp and lift, along with one or two near the main entrance, space allowing. This will leave us with a minimum of five designated handicap spots.
Hannah Grippin is outreach manager at the Great Bend Public Library. Stop by GBPL and grab the fall newsletter. Find GBPL on social media @greatbendpl, and on the website,greatbendpl.info. You can also message staff on Facebook and Instagram, email gbcirc@gmail.com, or call 620-792-2409 with any questions about programming or services.
