Constructed in the 1960s, the main location of the Cullman County Public Library has endured entire eras of shifting user habits, coupled with seismic, technologically-driven changes in the way information is accessed and cataloged.

Situated in a high-traffic area near Cullman’s Warehouse District, the library has seen its share of wear and tear through the decades (including a window-shattering storm that damaged the building last year).

The building’s physical footprint, meanwhile, hasn’t grown, even as its user base has. And while discussions of replacing or adding space to the facility have percolated over the years, a new plan to extensively renovate and expand the aging structure is emerging, thanks to an infusion of federal funding along with separate financial commitments from both the city and the county.

At its regular December meeting, the Cullman County Commission approved $350,000 in funding toward the planned renovation project, to be paid in equal $175,000 installments over a two-year period. The pledge comes with the expectation that the city of Cullman also will contribute an additional $350,000 toward the project, with the combined $700,000 in local funds providing a match for a forthcoming federal grant secured with assistance from Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville).

“Congressman Aderholt is helping us with the grant, and yes, it’ll be a complete renovation,” said commission chairman Jeff Clemons. “We’ve been working with the city of Cullman on it. It’s still early stages; there could be some add-ons that are part of the project. I think it’s going to be determined by how much we actually get from that [federal] grant, combined with what the county and the city is also putting toward it.

“The library is used by a lot of people,” he added. “We’ve got to do some serious renovation on it to try to make it modern, and that’s what we’re working toward. The library is very important — it gets a lot of use. We want to serve the people to the best of our ability, and this has been a long time coming. It’s an old building.”

Clemons said renovation work could start sometime next year, though the precise timing for the project’s start remains contingent on the arrival of federal grant funding. “Congressman Aderholt’s looking at the grant now, and I think he’s very aware of the need and wants to really help,” he said. “So hopefully, we can get it going soon.”

Operating five countywide branches including its main Cullman branch, the public library system is guided by a five-member board whose membership is entirely appointed by the county commission — though its Place 5 seat is typically filled with a nominee recommended by the city of Cullman. The board will oversee construction bidding on the upcoming renovation, once all funding for the project has been secured.

In a separate measure at its December regular meeting, the commission also voted unanimously to increase two part-time library employees’ working hours to 29 hours per week “to better serve the needs of the public,” with the additional personnel cost to be reimbursed by the library board.