OCEAN CITY – Discussions on the Pocomoke library project and efforts to rebrand the library system highlighted a board meeting this week.
On Tuesday, Library Executive Director Jennifer Ranck provided the Worcester County Library Board of Trustees with an update on the Pocomoke library project.
As library staff continue to work with architect Jeff Schoellkopf to develop design schemes for the new building, which will be constructed on the site of the long-vacant armory building on 2nd Street, she noted that plans are being made to hold an in-person meeting with town officials next month.
“We will have a face-to-face meeting in December, and I’ll be asking some folks from Pocomoke to come and join us to get their feedback,” she told board members. “Hopefully at that meeting we can go to the site and maybe stake out where we suspect the building will be and that sort of thing.”
Since 2020, county officials have been moving forward with plans for a new library branch in downtown Pocomoke. While the initial concept called for a new facility on a vacant lot offered by the City of Pocomoke, the site was ultimately ruled out after receiving the results of a phase two environmental study, which identified several underground storage tanks on the property.
Since that time, however, officials have set their sights on a new lot – the old armory building – and have applied for strategic demolition grants to make room for a new library. The Worcester County Library has also applied for a state grant to fund the library’s eventual construction.
“The state grant is only $7.5 million, and we’re grateful because it leverages a lot of money around the state,” Ranck said in May. “But it is a small pot of money when you are talking about large construction projects.”
In this week’s board meeting, Ranck said she and Schoellkopf have been meeting virtually on a preliminary facility design for the site.
“We’re just updating design plans to make sure things are where they need to be,” she said.
Ranck noted, however, that she was eager for next month’s meeting.
“I feel like it’s going fairly smoothly,” she said. “I’m looking forward to our in-person meeting we will have in early December.”
The board this week also agreed to schedule a subcommittee meeting to discuss rebranding efforts. In recent months, board members have proposed new logos and a promotional video to promote the library system and its services.
“We can set up a meeting for a small committee,” Ranck said. “That way, we can develop what things will look like.”
