Green River Carnegie Building to Undergo Structural Evaluation

Green River Carnegie Building to Undergo Structural Evaluation

GREEN RIVER—The Green River City Council agreed to provide a $3,500 match towards a $20,000 grant to undergo a structural evaluation of the Green River Carnegie Library.

The City of Green River and Sweetwater County applied for the $20,000 grant with the Wyoming Historic Preservation Commission to perform a structural review of the Carnegie Library.

Originally built in 1905, the Carnegie Library has been unused for several years. The deteriorated structure of the building makes it unsuitable for use, and the City and the County would like to review the viability of the building, according to City Administrator Reed Clevenger.

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The Historic Preservation Committee will fund $12,000 for the structural review, with a 60/40 match from the County and the City.

The City of Green River’s $3,500 contribution comes from cash that was already budgeted by the City for historical preservation.

The City will enter into an MOU with the County for the other $4,500 of the match. The county will provide the match with in-kind contributions from City and County staff.

Councilor Gary Killpack questioned why the City should put money towards the Carnegie Library, as the County currently owns the building.

Clevenger explained that the building could be beneficial for the City of Green River, especially in terms of the city’s downtown revitalization efforts. Clevenger added that without the structural review, the building is of no use to anyone.

Mayor Pete Rust said if the structural review is not done, the building will continue to deteriorate and will eventually have to be torn down.

The council unanimously voted to supply the grant match to go through with the structural review, with Councilor Lisa Maes absent.