The Maryville Public Library has been selected to receive a Façade Improvement Grant award, Maryville leadership announced April 15.

The grant is in the amount of $50,000 and will be used to repoint, patch and clean the exterior limestone on all sides of the building. In addition, stair joints and window perimeters will be cleaned and re-caulked to further protect the building from the elements.

“Since the federal government has released this funding to communities like Maryville, it makes sense for us to make use of this opportunity,” Library Director Stephanie Patterson said. “The City of Maryville has worked hard to streamline the process for property owners, and I’m glad to see the grant requires a match to keep us all a little more prudent.”

Patterson said the library owns and maintains its own property, including the original 109-year-old limestone building on Fifth and Main.

“We’re aware that it’s due time that some repointing be done with the mortar between the large limestone blocks that provide the exterior of the building,” she said. “We’ve seen deterioration on the surface of the limestone, particularly underneath the cornices, and down near ground level as well.”

With an estimated total project cost of $109,000, the award ensures repairs can be made without depleting library operating reserves. All library property is exclusively maintained by the Library Board of Trustees, with up to 90 percent of resources derived directly from property tax within the city of Maryville.

“The Board has been budgeting very carefully the last few years to reserve adequate funding for facility maintenance, while also protecting the improvements in resources and programming we’ve made,” Patterson said. “In this year’s budget, we were able to set aside $90,000 by trimming back expenditures in other areas and leveraging a little more of our funds provided by Friends of the Library. Given we have other building maintenance projects in our near future, this news was a significant relief.”

She continued: “Our top priority here is to offer library service in a building that is safe for the public and for staff. Secondarily, we’re working to protect the capital assets of Maryville taxpayers by maintaining the appearance and longevity of this structure, which as local historians are aware, originally served as a post office from 1912 to 1962.”

Patterson said they hope to have the work completed before August.

The Façade Grant Improvement Program was established by the city council in February of this year and includes an initial allocation of $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funds. According to the ARPA Final Rule, “recipients may provide assistance to small businesses which could include support to enhance outdoor spaces for COVID-19 mitigation or to improve the built environment of the neighborhoods, for example, façade improvements.”

The program is designed to encourage improvements to the condition or external appearance of storefronts and buildings throughout the community. Guidelines, applications and additional information can be found at maryville.org or by contacting Heather Griffith at hgriffith@maryville.org.