Alliance Bank closure brings opportunity for library upgrade
The Alliance Bank building, located across the street from the current Hanska library, will be closing its doors December 4. Photo by Dylan Jackson
The Hanska library is hoping to move to the Alliance Bank building, which will provide more space. Photo by Dylan Jackson
The Alliance Bank building, located across the street from the current Hanska library, will be closing its doors December 4. Photo by Dylan Jackson
The Hanska library is hoping to move to the Alliance Bank building, which will provide more space. Photo by Dylan Jackson
Trending
HANSKA -- The closing of Alliance Bank in Hanska opens the door for a possible library upgrade.
Hanska City Council met with community members in the Hanska Community Center to discuss whether the city should accept ownership of the Alliance Bank Building.
The bank is offering to donate the building, which will close its doors Dec. 4, to the city of Hanska. If the city does not accept the building, it will be put on the market.
City Council Board Member William Wurtz said that the input of community members is essential to the decision making process.
"Your input is going to weigh heavily on our decisions," Wurtz said.
Estimated costs of utilities and insurance to the city for the building would be $10,133 annually, or $844 a month.
Some money would be recouped if the current library building were to be sold.
The estimated value of the current library building is $51,000.
Hanska's old liquor store was used as an example of where money from the library building could go. Money from the liquor store sale went into the general fund and was then put into the community center, city parks, and a city tractor.
A benefit of acquiring the bank building is that very little maintenance would need to be done.
"It's a ready to use building," Wurtz said.
If the building were to become the new library, bathroom upgrades would be needed. It’s expected that grants would cover the upgrade costs.
Hanska Library Director Angela Pick said the primary issue with the current library is space.
"We've got great ideas but we don't have enough room to do that," Pick said. "It's literally one room."
Hanska's library has become a place of gathering for children from the town and surrounding townships.
"They all come from different schools so they don't know each other. The library has been a great place where they can get together," Pick said. "It's a lot of rural kids that come into the library, and it is a wonderful place for anyone who grew up on a farm."
She brought up that during the winter, the library becomes even more important to the community.
"We have wonderful parks, but they're not usable for half the year because of the weather," Pick said.
With the bank building, Pick envisions separate adult and children spaces, so both groups can utilize the space without disrupting the needs of patrons.
"When adults come in and the kids come up they're frustrated because they can't hear," Pick said.
Discussions were also held about using the bank building as a city council chamber or city office -- both of which the city does not currently have. The two bank vaults would serve as effective storage spaces for archive papers and other documents.
Regardless of what happens with the bank, Vice President of Alliance Bank John Schmidt guaranteed the bank's involvement with the community is not going anywhere.
"We will still donate to the churches, donate to the rec funds, the baseball teams," Schmidt said. "Just because we don't have our bank open in Hanska doesn't mean Alliance Bank is not still involved."
He urged citizens to continue requesting donations, because they value serving their community.
A special meeting will be held Oct. 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the Community Center to make a final decision regarding the bank building.