Danville Area Community College Trustees have agreed to acquire a vacant Carnegie Library Building from the Veterans Administration. DACC is swapping a gazebo for the building under an agreement approved recently in Congress following years of waiting.
DACC President Stephen Nacco says there are some faculty members who are anxious to turn the library into a fine arts center.
‘’It’s because of the great acoustics, because of the historical look of it, to use it for anything from an art gallery, black box theatre, band room, rehearsal room. They just see limitless possibilities in the Carnegie Library. And as we figure out how to fund it, and we get it completely renovated it’s going to be one of the treasures on this campus,’’ said President Nacco.
[Photo shows the gazebo being traded for the Carnegie Library.] It was estimated early this year that it will cost around $2.5 million dollars to convert the old library into a center for DACC’s fine arts programs. The College hopes to leverage the new space to boost student enrollment in fine arts programs and to increase student participation in music and theatrical clubs.
President Nacco noted it has taken years for the property swap to finally be approved.
‘’It way pre-figures me being here,’’ said Nacco during an interview with VermilionCountyFirst.com News. ‘’A lot of people (were) frustrated about what seemed like a simple swap. The VA wanted to do it, but there are bureaucratic sort of entities that need to do whatever they do, and it just was hung up for quite a while.’’
