School board seeks funds for new library

LEETONIA -- The Leetonia library will try to get financing for its new library passed in a special election in August.
The Leetonia School Board has approved the move, library director Andy Smith said Friday.
The library, which has its own board, has the same boundaries as the Leetonia school district, and must go through the school board to get on the ballot.
The library board will pick up the estimated $2,500 cost of the special election, Smith said.
The district sought a bond issue in the form of a 1.5-mill levy for 25 years in the May 2 primary. The issue failed by 38 votes, according to election night results. The final numbers are expected next week.
Smith said that right after the defeat, "There was a huge outpouring of support, and people wanted it to go back on."
Some people in favor of the issue had assumed it would pass and didn't vote, he added. Others were confused by the ballot language that mentioned the school board.
The library downtown is small and crowded. The library board wants to build a new facility that would more than double the size of the current facility on the site of the former high school and stadium.