A significant grant brings the Yale Valley Library District closer to building a free-standing library serving rural areas of north Clark County and south Cowlitz County. But the district must turn to the community for additional support to secure the grant.
Members of the library district have been planning for more than 13 years to build a library next to Yale Elementary School on property leased for free from the Woodland School District, according to a news release issued by the library. Currently, the Yale Express Library consists of three cabinets inside of the school.
The Community Foundation for Southwest Washington pledged $15,000 in matching funds to the library district, meaning the library district must collect that much to receive the entire grant. So far, the district has raised $5,200, about a third of the funds needed.
Once constructed, the library will serve more than 500 homes in Ariel, Cougar, Yale and Amboy. Board secretary Liz Kennedy-Brost said in a news release that the library will provide books, high-speed internet and a gathering space for community meetings.
