The county’s smallest library was supposed to get a major renovation. Now it is getting a roof.
At the Oct. 6 Commissioners’ meeting, Public Works and Transportation Director John Norris told the board that the Charlotte Hall Library project is being scaled back after a state grant the county was counting on did not come through. In place of a full renovation, the department proposes fixes that have to happen no matter what happens next.
What changed
The county had about $4 million in local funding for the project and was counting on another $1 million from the state, Norris said. The state money “did not materialize,” and the department has been talking with state library officials and the Southern Maryland Regional Library Association (SMRLA) about a joint plan that both the state and commissioners could accept.
The Charlotte Hall building is shared. The county library uses one half, and SMRLA, which serves as a regional resource center for the public libraries in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties, uses the other. Norris said the library and SMRLA studied the same elements of the building, including the envelope and roof, and found they are trying to solve the same problems. The state, he said, was not interested in moving ahead on the county’s half unless the solution also addressed SMRLA’s future space needs.
The new, smaller plan
Norris said the department is now shooting for work that meets the building’s basic needs. That means replacing the rooftop units that are at the end of their useful life, replacing the flat roof they sit on and making ADA upgrades to the bathroom. He said the cost would be “maybe a million and a half tops,” against the roughly $4 million originally planned.
The reasoning: the building will still need those repairs whether the library expands, or whether SMRLA moves out in 10 years. “Keep the lights on,” as the department put it, protects the county’s investment while a larger decision is made.
Commissioners push back on half a library
One commissioner said they were concerned about spending heavily to renovate half of a library, noting Charlotte Hall is already the county’s smallest. The commissioner said SMRLA “does amazing work” and suggested the county help SMRLA find a different location so the county could use the whole building, expanding library service for northern residents. With the state grant gone, the commissioner said, the county has more time. “Not kicking them to the curb,” the commissioner added.
Another commissioner asked how much of SMRLA’s space is used regularly, saying parts looked open and could become public meeting space. Norris said SMRLA has shared its views and the county will invite the association to speak to the board. A commissioner said they had not seen the joint facility study, and Norris said he would send it.
Where the numbers stand
In April, commissioners approved a letter of support for the planned renovation and expansion. The library’s own board minutes from February describe a request for a $3 million state capital grant, with a likely-award decision expected in October and full approval not until May 2027. The Maryland State Library Agency’s June round of capital grants, $13 million for eight projects, did not include St. Mary’s County.
