PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — The Scioto County Public Library’s board of trustees approved spending up to $32,000 to replace flooring at the library’s Wheelersburg branch at its April 21 meeting, as officials also began studying a possible new bookmobile garage and reviewed a slight dip in the system’s 2025 usage numbers.
The board’s Property & Extension Committee had reviewed quotes from two flooring contractors, Carpets Plus Color Tile of New Boston and Crabtree’s Carpet and Flooring of Lucasville, for replacing the branch’s flooring. The committee recommended switching some carpeted areas to luxury vinyl plank flooring and asked Crabtree’s to provide an updated quote before work begins, since the original quotes dated to August. The full board then voted to approve the project with costs not to exceed $32,000.
Library Director Paige Williams was also asked to contact an architect for cost estimates on a possible addition to the system’s bookmobile garage and a reconfiguration of the parking lot at the Portsmouth Library. The discussion comes months after the library’s new bookmobile returned to Columbus for a warranty review and minor repair, and after the library’s previous bookmobile was put up for sale.
The board also reviewed the library’s 2025 statistics, which showed circulation and program attendance decreased slightly compared with prior years while the number of registered cardholders increased. In response, a leadership team made up of the library’s supervisors and administrators is reviewing ways to boost participation, officials said.
In other business, trustees approved the disposal of six chairs and a filing cabinet through the online surplus marketplace GovDeals.com and voted to recess the board’s June meeting. Officials also noted that Vice President Joan Roberts, who is finishing out a term that expires June 30, would become the first trustee subject to the board’s new four-year term limits if she is reappointed.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Scioto County Public Library Board of Trustees.
