The Suwannee River Regional Library (SRRL) system is seeking to open a branch in Dowling Park in order to better serve the residents of Western Suwannee County. SRRL received a $500,000 Public Library Construction Grant from the state, and the project is in the final stages of the application process, according to Director of Libraries Betty Lawrence. The state normally requires that a county match the grant funds, but Suwannee County received a waiver of the program’s matching requirement due to its rural status.

At the next Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 7, Lawrence will present the BOCC with a lease agreement for approval between the BOCC and the Advent Christian Village (ACV) for the construction of a library in Dowling Park.

“We’re looking to build in Dowling Park because of its distance at the far end of the county,” said Lawrence. “The community is the farthest away in terms of access to library services. There’s not only a retirement community present, but there’s plenty of children, too, who are in need of the programs and services a library can provide.”

The current location being discussed for the Dowling Park Public Library is near the intersection of Dowling Park Drive and Martin Jones Boulevard, close to the Carter Village Hall in the ACV at Dowling Park.

A construction date has not been set yet.