Publications & Sites 
River Grove Library’s grant application rejected for lack of funds
Updated: August 20, 2012 6:32AM
RIVER GROVE — An attempt to get funds to lay the groundwork for a new public library in River Grove suffered a setback last week.
At the July 11 River Grove Public Library Board meeting the library board announced that the state grant they hoped would move the project forward was not approved.
Michael Prokop, president of River Grover Library Board, said they received a letter from the secretary of state informing them Illinois State Library Fiscal Year 2013 Public Library Construction Act Grant funds had run out before they got to their application.
“It’s kind of disappointing,” he said. “You put your request in and hold your breath, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”
If approved the grant would have provide the library with 38 percent of the total cost toward a new library.
Prior to submitting the grant application, Chad Evans, a Realtor and local business owner, approached the board with the idea of donating the old River Grove Bowl property on 8400 block of Grand Avenue to house the new library.
The total site is 55,000 square feet and the plan was to give the library the majority of the structure and land for the new library and a parking lot, while Evans would own a portion of the property, which he would develop.
Both Prokop and Evans consider the bad news a setback, but are still encouraged.
“In the next month or so we’ll be talking about where do we go from here,” Prokop said. “By no means is a new library a dead issue.”
“We’ll keep looking at it to see if there is something that can be done,” Evans said. “It’s not dead, but we have to take it from another avenue.”
Prokop said at this time they will not try to put out a referendum to get taxpayers to pay for a new library due to the economy. They intend to apply for other grants.
