RINCON, Ga. — The City of Rincon has purchased approximately 15 acres along Fort Howard Road for $2 million, with about four acres slated for a new Effingham County library and the remaining land planned for future downtown-style commercial development.
The purchase was announced Monday during a press conference at the entrance to Williamsburg subdivision off Fort Howard Road. Effingham County Commissioners Phil Kieffer and Jamie DeLoach joined Rincon Mayor Kevin Exley and City Council members Ben Blackwell, Mona Underwood and Michelle Taylor for the announcement.
The property stretches from the entrance to Lost Plantation to Lisa Street. Exley said the four-acre library site will be located between the entrances to Lost Plantation and Williamsburg subdivision. The land was purchased from Beth Williams-Holley of Ernest Homes, Underwood said.
Under the agreement, the city will sell the library parcel to Effingham County, which will be responsible for developing the new library. The remaining approximately 11 acres will be transferred to the Rincon Economic Development Initiative Board to recruit businesses and advance the city's long-term vision for a walkable downtown district along Fort Howard Road.
"The property's location fits directly into the city's vision for a downtown area with a true Main Street feel," Exley said. "In the near future, you should start seeing not only the groundbreaking move forward, but also plans and construction."
Library vision
Exley said the current Rincon library, the fourth most-visited library in the regional system, no longer meets the community's needs and is not as accessible on foot as city leaders would like.
"This, with the addition of some more sidewalks, could get everybody in the city walking through to this library," he said.
He also said the new facility could address shortcomings at the current library, including the lack of covered outdoor space for children's summer reading programs.
"If it rains, those guys have to go find shelter somewhere," Exley said. "Hopefully, we can encourage the builder to have a covered area for that as well."
Next steps
The next step is for the city to complete the sale of the library parcel to Effingham County. Exley said planning for the facility can begin while that process is underway, with the library board working alongside county officials and residents.
He said public involvement will play an important role in shaping the new library.
"I think one of the big things is having the public get involved in designing this library," Exley said. "The library board needs to be 100% involved, and we'd like to see the public come out and participate."
Funding details have not yet been finalized. Exley said negotiations on the next Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) are ongoing and referred questions about the project's funding to county officials.
Kieffer said the county already has about $16 million allocated for library infrastructure, allowing work on the project to begin.
"We certainly can get started with the design," Kieffer said. "We can get that moving."
The project comes as Effingham County begins a new chapter in its library system. Effective July 1, the county ended its longtime affiliation with the Live Oak Public Libraries system and joined the Statesboro Regional Public Libraries system, giving local officials greater control over library operations and future planning.
County leaders have said the transition also positions Effingham to better meet the needs of its rapidly growing population through investments such as the planned Rincon library.
When asked about the future of the current library building, Exley said the city has discussed temporarily using it for police operations before eventually incorporating the property into a larger municipal complex.
"Our city is focused on the needs of the community before we're concentrating on having better offices," he said. "We want to continue improving our infrastructure before we build a new City Hall or municipal complex."
The land purchase is also a key component of Rincon's 25-year master plan, which envisions a traditional downtown centered around public gathering spaces, commercial development and pedestrian connectivity.
Exley said city leaders are committed to moving the project forward quickly.
"I see us making decisions pretty quickly," he said. "I think you'll start seeing clearing here in the near future."
