The Kansas City, Kan., Board of Education formally approved of the public-private partnership fund for a new Argentine Branch Library last night.

Under the plan, the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools District would be responsible for 60 percent of the costs, while private fundraising would result in the remaining 40 percent required.

The new library would replace the current library, which is 7,000 square feet in size and has issues with handicap accessibility.

Depending on fundraising efforts, the library will be between 17,000 – 25,000 square feet in size.

"A good library reflects the community its in," said J.D. Rios, an assistant superintendent for the school district. "A library's not just a place to check out books but to help people who are seeking employment. We try to do that on a small scale but now it's about expanding."

So far, without a final construction plan or even a location to publicly announce, fundraising has went well.

Neighborhood leaders have raised $181,578 so far into the campaign. The goal is to raise a total of $2 million from the private sector before May 2010.

"We are very much encouraged by the support we are receiving," said Ramon Murguia, who's leading the efforts on the fundraising. "The library will remove blight from the neighborhood and could serve as a catalyst for further development."

Once fundraising is complete, a schematic design and the finalization of funding for the library will be announced.

The current library, which is a Carnegie Library, will be "repurposed" under the plan and will remain in standing.

Fundraising appears to be off to a solid start for a new library in the Argentine Library in Kansas City, Kan.

Ramon Murguia, a resident in the area and attorney in Kansas City, has led a 23-member committee in fundraising for the library.

So far, so good, as the library has raised just over $180,000 in private funding.

"It's just to show we can deliver on our promise in raising necessary funds," he said, informing members of the Kansas City, Kan., Board Education tonight. "The community needs this new kind of library and the surrounding community has a need for a library."

The new library, depending on fundraising success, would be between 25,000–30,000 square ft. Sixty percent of the funding would be provided by the library, while 40 percent would be funded through public fundraising efforts.

No official plans have been drawn up for the library yet.

"We believe despite the economic times, we have a lot of good initial contacts made already," Murguia said. "We're hoping the designed works can be completed by early November so we can do a lot more of our fundraising."

Members of the committee are looking to raise around $2 million.

While the Kansas City, Kan., approved of fundraising efforts to build a new Argentine Library tonight, there was also some news on the current library.

Multiple board members and the Kansas City, Kan., Public School District pledged that the current facility would not be torn down. Perhaps the strongest and most important voice in that promise came from George Breidenthal.

Breidenthal, a member of the board who also serves on the Unified Government's Landmarks Commission, said the building will never be torn down.

"I don't want to see that building gone," he said. "You have my promise. We're all in agreement that building will be used in someway."

The current library is a Carnegie Library, and thus receives a special historic recognition. Some community members in Argentine were concerned of the building's future in light of the board's move tonight.

Regarding funding for the new library, Assistant Superintendent J.D. Rios said funding has already been set aside in the district's library budget.

"We had set aside over $300,000 a year toward new construction," he said. "This project would take a large amount of that. It's a historic development because the public library system would be the funder of a new branch library."

The new library, depending on fundraising success, would be between 25,000–30,000 square ft. Sixty percent of the funding would be provided by the library, while 40 percent would be funded through public fundraising efforts.

The library is looking to raise around $2 million.