CORNISH — Construction to convert a former general store on Route 120 to a library and community center has begun.
The start of construction marks a significant turning point in the four-year effort to transform the vacant store, Colleen O’Neill, chairwoman of the nonprofit Cornish Community Initiative, which is leading the project, said.
The town narrowly voted to accept O’Neill’s donation of the property in 2023 and defeated a petition article last March to overturn that vote.
Presently, the town uses the nearby Stowell Library, built in 1912, but the library lacks indoor plumbing and is difficult for people with disabilities to access.
The former store will become a “modern, accessible space for learning, gathering and connection,” O’Neill said in a news release last week.
The new facility, with an estimated cost of $3 million, will have an expanded space for collections, a children’s room, a community meeting space and outdoor spaces including a porch, patio and green triangle park.
Construction should take between 12 and 15 months, O’Neill said.
Cornish Community Initiative’s capital campaign has raised $1.2 million in gifts and grants and a little more than $1 million in pledges, O’Neill said in an email Thursday. A Northern Borders Regional Commission grant of $727,000 brings the total to $3 million.
The initial construction estimate was $2.75 million, but inflation and tariffs could result in a 20% increase, O’Neill said, adding that fundraising will continue.