LITTLE VALLEY — The long-wished-for opportunity for a designated parking lot is coming to fruition for the Memorial Library of Little Valley.
Director Linda McCubbin said the library’s board of trustees recently purchased the two buildings next door at 104 and 106 Rock City St. They closed on the sale of the 106 Rock City St. address about a month ago and are currently waiting for the closing on the 104 Rick City St. address.
She said they hope to have both buildings torn down by May 1 and a temporary gravel parking lot made until a grant for paving it is received.
McCubbin said this transaction came about when the board approached Nicole Ellis about purchasing the building at 106 Rock City St. after they had seen a “For Sale” sign in the window. Then, the board set up a meeting to negotiate last September.
The building formerly housed several businesses and has been owned by John Studley of Randolph for at least the last 10 years. She said Studley had a land contract with the first operator of a thrift store located there named the Bargain Bowl. After that business closed, his daughter, Nicole, and Chris Ellis operated the Little Valley Thrift Shop in the building. McCubbin said after Studley sold the property, Ellis gave the library a $500 goodwill donation.
According to McCubbin, the library board then tried to contact Joshua Bryant, the owner of the building at 104 Rock City St.
“I saw him in the building on a Sunday and stopped and spoke with him about selling the property to the library,” she said. “I asked his price and went back to the board of trustees with the amount. They signed a letter of intent in February. We are just waiting for the title search and we will be closing.”
McCubbin said once the letter of intent was signed, Diane Crater, president of the board of trustees, went to Senator Catharine Young, R-Olean, and asked for her support in helping the library get the parking lot it has needed for years. She said, through Young, the board received a grant for $50,000.
“The board used the $50,000 grant from Senator Young to purchase both buildings and we hope to have enough leftover to pay for demolition, which is hoped to begin by May 1,” she said. “This was less than the requested amount and, with purchasing the second building, we are not going to be able to build a paved parking lot for a year or so. The demolition bids are for graveling the lot when completed.”
In the near future, the library board will apply for a grant to have the lot paved. McCubbin said the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System has a construction grant that they may be eligible for to assist them with completing the parking lot.
The board is hoping for 10 spaces, but it depends on the New York State Department of Transportation because they will have to determine where the entrance will be located.
McCubbin said this parking lot will be wonderful for both the library and the community. She said parking for library patrons has been a problem for many years, in addition to the minimal parking in the village for businesses.
The new parking lot will benefit not only the library, but also the community. McCubbin said it will mean more patron visits and circulation of materials for the library. She said the community will benefit as well because the village will be able to use the lot when the library is closed.
