Next up for Longboat Key public library? Fundraising

Now with more detailed renderings, the town of Longboat Key and Sarasota County are ready to move into the fundraising phase of the public library project. 

At the Longboat Key Town Commission’s June 3 meeting, Support Services Director Carolyn Brown updated commissioners about the project, including the new renderings, early price estimates and a donation-naming system. 

“We’re excited, we’re on weekly calls,” Town Manager Howard Tipton said. “And the evolutions of the design, I think, have been positive.”

Sarasota County Libraries is currently working toward a 10,000-square-foot library facility that will be constructed on the Longboat Key Town Center Green. 

The county is responsible for funding the construction and operation of the core library, but an opportunity for an enhanced version is on the table. But to make that happen, the town must find private donors to help fund the larger meeting room and terrace. 

The enhanced meeting space will accommodate up to 200 people, Brown said. The design also includes a partition wall for the meeting area. 

Brown said that the architects, Borrelli & Partners, continue to work on the design while the construction manager, Jon F. Swift Construction, is working to finalize cost estimates. 

The costs that Brown presented to the commission are early estimates and still subject to change, but she said the core library is anticipated to cost around $11.1 million. 

The enhancements are estimated to cost $2 million for the enhanced meeting room and $1.5 million for the terrace. That’s about $14.6 million for the total construction estimate. 

According to Brown, the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners approved the name-giving guidelines at a May 22 meeting, which will provide a framework for future projects that include private donations. 

“Sarasota County Libraries is also finalizing donation tiers and giving levels,” Brown said. “At this time, they anticipate a graduated methodology, offering power to name the building at the highest level and provide funding opportunities for smaller spaces and programs at lesser levels.”

The guidelines stipulate that a minimum of a 25% donation of the project cost is needed to have naming rights. 

For example, if the project cost does end up around $14.6 million, then a donation of $3.65 million would be needed to give someone naming rights. 

Courtesy image

Brown and Tipton said, as they understand it, that if a donor were to donate the 25% necessary for naming rights to the entire library, then that would help defray the town’s necessary input for the enhancements. 

Currently, there are no other local government buildings on Longboat Key that bear a donor’s name. 

“The Longboat library will present an exceptional and reasonably priced opportunity for a donor to create a lasting legacy, as compared to other local naming opportunities,” Brown said. “The highest level name donation will benefit the community by providing a space where residents and visitors can meet their neighbors, learn new skills, participate in educational workshops and enjoy the quality of life that makes Longboat Key a premier community.”

Brown said the county is expected to finish creating fundraising marketing materials this week, which will allow the town and county to begin identifying potential interested naming donors. 

Tipton said he recently spoke with Jim Brown of the Longboat Key Foundation about working collaboratively on a fundraising effort. 

“Our hope is that as soon as we get the information that we’ll be able to connect with the Longboat Key Foundation,” Tipton said. “We will work with them to get the fundraising effort started.” 

Tipton said the goal is still to wrap up fundraising by the end of August. To start the final design, the architects need to know if the library will include any of the enhancements, which won’t be known until the funds are raised. 

According to Carolyn Brown, the county is still on target to finish construction in December 2026.