POCOMOKE CITY, Md. -- Market Street, where Pocomoke's library sits is now the site for a brand new library. After plans to put the facility near the old armory fell through, it sent this process back to square one.
The whole ordeal has some in Pocomoke worried they will get left out in the cold. Chip Choquette who lives in Pocomoke, said he's worried the new plans are not what they were chalked up to be back in February. That is when plans for the library near the old armory were first proposed.
"Over the past several months the commissioners have indicated that they want to cost cap it at a $4.4 million dollar match and overall project cost of $8.6 million," said Choquette.
Jessmin Duryea of Pocomoke wishes that original plan was still in the works.
"I really think it would have been a great addition to the downtown area," said Duryea.
For Choquette, he said it is all too familiar for him and his fellow neighbors down in Pocomoke.
"We're kind of used to it, being overlooked and I think that's a common thought among a lot of my neighbors here is 'why are we always getting cut'," said Choquette.
In response to concerns from neighbors feeling like Pocomoke often plays second fiddle to towns on the North end of the county, Commission President Chip Bertino said "that's ridiculous". Bertino said the county has not made an attempt to cut costs and cited the $500,000 the county approved on Tuesday night for the design fee.
A $4 million grant from the state is still a possibility. Worcester County applied for the Public Library Capital Grant program for FY25. Jennifer Ranck, Worcester County Library Director, said they will know in January how much the Pocomoke Library was allocated.
"We want to provide the same type of library, same facility for the Pocomoke Community, that is our goal," said Ranck.
So far, the design process for the new library is only about 10% complete. The estimated construction cost is $7.6 million, but a better estimate will be known this winter or spring, once the design is finalized and has been bid out.
It will also be a while before crews break ground. If Pocomoke is awarded grant funding, that money would not be available until July 1, 2024.