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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels December 2, 2004 Talent library fundraising goal upped By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings The Friends of the Talent Library have increased their fundraising goal for the town's new library to $250,000. The nonprofit group of volunteers previously had hoped to raise $150,000 to boost the size of the library that Jackson County will build on the site of the unused fire station. County voters approved a $38.9 million bond in 2000 to pay for expansion or construction of libraries in 14 communities. Of that, $1.1 million is earmarked for a basic Talent library design, according to Jackson County Library Director Ronnie Budge. FOTL members have raised $138,000 - putting them close to their original fundraising goal - but have decided $250,000 is needed for enhancements that include an enlarged community meeting room, children's area and teens' section, according to member Jim Bradley. Bradley said the community room is needed more than ever since Talent voters in November turned down a $5 million bond that would have funded a new city hall with meeting space. "The civic center bond measure didn't pass. They were going to have public meeting spaces," he said. "The community meeting room in the library looks like the only new meeting space in town. We really need it because there's nothing available weekends and evenings in town." Use of the existing Talent Community Center is restricted because of the fragility of the historic building. The basic library design allows room for only two-thirds of the children's books, with inadequate room for story time, according to Bradley. The teen section also would have only three armchairs, one computer, room for half the teen books in the library collection and no work tables, Bradley said. The Carpenter Foundation based in Medford has awarded FOTL $14,400 to help pay for the teen section enlargement. FOTL members have written eight grant applications and should learn the fate of the grants in a few months, according to Bradley. High numbers of public donations will help convince foundations that the community backs the enlargement of the planned library, he said. Donations can be dropped off at the existing Talent library or sent to Friends of the Talent Library, P.O. Box 597, Talent, OR 97540. Write "Capital campaign" on the check memo line. FOTL also will hold its annual Holiday Bazaar fundraiser featuring gift items, Christmas decorations and books from 1 to 7 p.m. Dec. 9 and from noon to 5 p.m. on Dec. 10, at the Talent Library, 105 N. I St. As another fundraiser, the group will offer gift wrapping at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 1400 Biddle Rd., Medford, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the weekends of Dec. 11 and 12 and Dec. 18 and 19. For more information on the capital campaign, call Jim Bradley at 535-8805 or Betty Smith at 535-4246. The Community Design Team will begin working with architects on library plans in January, with construction slated to begin in early 2006. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams