HINCKLEY – U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, visited Hinckley this week to help mark the library’s new downtown move, bolstered by more than $1 million in federal funding secured with the congresswoman’s help.
Underwood’s office announced in March the Hinkley Public Library District was awarded $1,064,000 million in federal aid to relocate the library to a 6,000-square-foot downtown space, 142 W. Lincoln Ave. The money also is expected to go to helping complete the second phase of rehabilitation and renovation on the new location, officials have said.
The new library once open is expected to have additional accommodations not possible at the old Hinckley location, according to a news release. New features will include: dedicated spaces for patrons and staff with mobility needs, space for youth and teenagers, meeting spaces for area businesses and organizations, public computers and study rooms, according to a news release.
The funding package was awarded after Hinckley Public Library District previously asked for federal aid in early 2023, appealing to Underwood for $1 million. The library previously had called a downtown Hinckley basement in a 97-year-old building home at 100 Maple St. The 3,000-square-foot space was not ideal for the library or its needed expansions, Library Director Rylie Roubal previously told Shaw Local News Network.
The federal money was granted through the U.S. House Committee of Appropriations, part of $12,662,536 that Underwood’s office lobbied for throughout the 14th District. Among the recipients of that funding is $2.5 million to DeKalb-based Safe Passage, which is expected to be used for expanded emergency crisis services for those in need.
The Hinckley Public Library District also was awarded $750,000 in federal funding in 2023 to help its move and renovations.
Underwood has previously touted the federal aid to multiple 14th District entities as a “top priority” for her office.