By Richard Caines

SALISBURY — The downtown branch of the Wicomico Public Library could be moving to the former home of the Ward Museum if approved by County Council this month.

During the regular council session on May 21, the public can comment on a potential lease between the county and Salisbury University for the building located at 909 S. Schumaker Drive, or the former home of the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art which closed following an HVAC failure at the facility in July 2022.

Salisbury University renamed the former museum, the Museum of Eastern Shore Culture, and plans to open the new location soon on the first floor of the Powell Building on West Main Street.

Pending terms call for a 10-year lease with the county having the option of renewing it for two additional periods of 10 years each. The base rent for the initial term and each renewal period would be $1.00 annually.

The now-renamed Paul S. Sarbanes Branch moved to its current location on Division Street in 1963. More than 111,000 items were borrowed from the branch between July 2021 and June 2022, according to the library’s website.

County Executive Julie Giordano said they have been conversing with Director of Library Services Seth Hershberger on what vision he wants for the future of the library. She said they explored the Michael E. Busch Annapolis Library to get a feel for what it could become.
Giordano said the existing branch was built on the site of an old armory from the early 1900s.

“In the Capital Improvement Plan, we knew that there was going to be about a $20 million request to start renovating that,” Giordano said. “There were going to be some serious renovations and I think in Seth’s mind, he wanted a light, airy space. He wanted something that people could love and enjoy.”

Giordano said they are currently looking at some grant funding opportunities from the state. If the lease is approved, the library director can apply for the grant money and receive the funds a year later. She said if the timeline stays on track, the library could open in two and a half years.

She said the library plans to open a smaller branch somewhere in the downtown area if the proposal goes through.

“There will be a little match from the county, but it looks like the state is willing to pay up to 80 percent and then we will be responsible for 20 percent, which is a far less amount than the $20 million we would have to put in (renovating the library)," Giordano said. 

With the Unity Square project recently finished next door, Giordano said theoretically it could be a space where you can go to the library, borrow a book and sit outside and read.

But Giordano said they kept hearing about a lack of adjacent parking from older adults.

“They can’t get there,” Giordano said. “It’s too hard to park in the garage for them. We kind of knew that the shelf life of having the main branch downtown was just probably not the best use of space.”

Giordano said the potential new location of the branch is a win for everyone because it has a large parking lot, is handicapped accessible, has easy access by transit and is centered between two high schools.

“What we are hoping to do, is that Seth will be able to rotate some of the ducks in and out of there, so you’ll still have that Ward Museum feel but have a really cool space for a library,” Giordano said.

Jason Rhodes, public relations director and university spokesperson, said they look forward to working with the county and the library and are excited about the potential partnership.

“Since the closure of the Schumaker Pond building in July 2022, it has been SU’s goal to ensure the building and surrounding property could be reopened to the public, which is an important part of this proposal,” Rhodes said.

Reach Managing Editor Richard Caines at rcaines@iniusa.org.