Fundraising efforts are well underway for the Grand Forks & District Public Library. The Library aims to renovate their washrooms for the first time since 1982 when they were built.
Library Director Cari Lynn Gawletz explains. “They are not accessible at all, and they’re not very private or very safe for anyone at all so we’ve been looking for a few years at how we can upgrade them.”
She adds that a door opens up on one of the urinals, one door had to be removed, but one specific incident stuck out. “A couple years ago we had a woman in a wheelchair who couldn’t get into our washrooms, we had to turn her away to the City Park washrooms in the summer, so that was kind of our biggest wake-up moment that we need to fix this.”
Gawletz says you can donate online. “The Public Library is a CRA registered charity, so we can issue tax receipts for any donations over $25.”
She adds that so far the library has raised $57,000 but need about $84,000. “I did the math and I saw that if everyone in our service area gave us $4 we could finish the project.”
The library passed a Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Audit last month, although the washrooms failed on all counts. The new designs would replace the men’s and woman’s stalled bathrooms with 4 single user accessible washrooms.
You can donate in person, or click here.