Jamaica Library receives grant
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
The Jamaica Public Library has been selected as one of 240 libraries nationally to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities.
The award comes with a $20,000 grant to help improve accessibility including repairing sidewalk with easy or auto-entry door, tuckpointing the brick facade, metal sheathing or alternative for non-facing walls, and new upper story front windows/trim. The city welcomes estimates, especially from local contractors. The work needs to be completed outdoors before snow flies in 2026 as the project deadline is April 2027. BID CLOSING DATE: JUNE 30, 2026. To schedule a visit, contact Mayor Dennis Meinecke at jamaicacity@windstream.net or JPL Board President Andrew Gettler at aawoodservices@gmail.com.
“We are grateful to be chosen for this opportunity,” Library Director Laurie Carnahan said. “Our city, population 198, has recently completed a heavy lift of a $1.5 million water project that has left its coffers drained and, as a result, left our historic 1912 brick building lacking maintenance that would ensure mobility accessibility and durability. This grant will be used to catch up and provide for potential accessibility improvements for many years to come.”
The historic brick building first housed the fire station, jail, city clerk and council chambers. It was shared by the Jamaica Women’s Club that started the library in the 1940s with a shelf or two. Over time, the community used what was available to expand its library. The facility expanded through the wall of the building next door, and then, in 1980, had an addition where an extensive Guthrie County Genealogy collection now sits.
The library invites informal online, phone and in-person conversations about mobility needs and how the ALA grant can meet those needs. If you are interested in participating in the accessibility conversation, contact Laurie Carnahan at jampublib@netins.net or Facebook at Jamaica Public Library.
Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types have utilized free dialogue and deliberation training and resources to lead community and campus forums; take part in anti-violence activities; provide a space for residents to discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff.
Note: Regular hours of operation for the Jamaica Public Library changed in April 2026. The current hours are Mondays/Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Fridays, 3-5:30 p.m.; Thursdays, 1:30-6 p.m.; and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon.
