JANUARY 2019 PROGRESS: Library will get new building; council says old grocery store must come down

County Council members in January approved the complete demolition of the existing structure and construction of a new building.

The new plans came in the form of a $208,980 change order for the demolition of the former grocery store.

“At first the demolition of the Piggly Wiggly building was not included. It was to be in part of the construction, but it was found to be more financially feasible to tear it down and start it from new,” Orangeburg County Deputy Administrator Marion Lloyd said.

Orangeburg County Community Development Director Richard Hall said early estimates led the county to believe that rehabbing the building would save money.

“We really didn’t want to do that in an old building like that, but we just felt like it was just going to save us a substantial amount of money to keep it. So we were going to try and rehab it, but it turns out that it really wasn’t a big cost savings for us and it made a lot more sense just to tear it down and have an all-new-construction building without having to worry about any problems,” Hall said.

The new process will also expedite the construction of the new building by three months, Hall said.

Council in December 2018 unanimously agreed to purchase the property on Russell Street where the Piggly Wiggly was formerly located, along with three adjacent properties on Russell and Lowman streets. The total cost was estimated at about $500,000.

The Orangeburg County Library's main branch is presently located on Louis Street in Orangeburg. The countywide system also features libraries in North, Holly Hill, Elloree, Springfield and Santee, as well as a bookmobile and book deposits for senior citizens at several locations.