By Brian Gilliland

REHOBOTH BEACH — By focusing on the renovation of its 226 Rehoboth Ave. site, the Rehoboth Beach Public Library’s Board of Trustees hopes actions speak louder than some words that may have clouded its agenda.

“When all of this started, we did a needs assessment, and it told us we need the downtown location,” board president Kay Wheatley said. “It also told us the location was underutilized.”

The facility’s resources are popular, but the population, especially those who live outside of downtown but still in the branch’s service area, are reluctant to make full use of them, for some familiar reasons.

“It’s because of the development,” Ms. Wheatley said. “People don’t want to deal with parking downtown. People don’t want to deal with the traffic, but we’ve had higher demand for services, like programs for retirees.”

To demonstrate the commitment to the downtown building, she said the board is focused on spending the up to $6 million it thinks it will take to bring the facility in line with residents’ needs.

More than half of those funds, or about $3 million, is coming from pandemic relief monies the board has been retaining to finance the construction.

But there’s a deadline.

“To use that money, the facility has to be done — open for business — by December 2026,” Ms. Wheatley said.

That explains the urgency, but there have been delays nevertheless. Negotiations between the board and the city have been complicated, she explained, requiring plan redesigns and several discussions about the three potentially valuable lots the library sits on.

While common ground with the city is still being sought, she said the board is proceeding with what it can do: finding an interior design that will best suit the services offered, as well as solicit public feedback on those plans.

The next chance to see and respond to the library’s most recent design proposal is during a to-be-scheduled meeting in July, Ms. Wheatley said.

And, to help lighten the load of the board, the entity has decided to add three at-large members: Dave Eason, Linda Tunie and Joe Wade.

“Our board members have experience in many areas including library administration, finance, public relations, fundraising, construction, community relations, education and working with local governments — all areas needed to help our Library be the best for our community,” the release announcing their appointments reads.

“Overseeing the operations of the existing library can be accomplished with five board members and one at-large member, but having these additional responsibilities going forward, the board felt adding three new at-large members would best serve our growing need.”

Then, once the renovation project starts, library leadership can focus on its second facility, Ms. Wheatley said.

The board has an agreement with a landowner for a site off Warrington Road, she said, and has put some money toward securing the spot, but it will need more. Fundraising efforts are expected this fall.

Recovery funds are not available for this portion, she added.

“Like I said, there are lots of things going at once and lots of moving parts right now. Library services have changed during the past 10-15 years, and we want to ensure we’re using our resources to the fullest extent,” Ms. Wheatley said.

That requires bolstering meeting spaces, training rooms, seating areas, maintaining the collections and providing technology.

But it also means those resources are coming downtown first, she said, where people expect them to be.