Pender County Commissioners approve $10.8 million budget, $7.9 million contract for new Hampstead Library

BURGAW, NC (WWAY) — After years of planning and review, a new library branch will soon be coming to the eastern side of Pender County.

In a four-to-one vote, Pender County Commissioners this week approved several items related to the new Hampstead branch library.

The new library will be built on U.S. Highway 17 next to the Hampstead annex building.

Commissioners approved a $7.9 million construction contract and a total project budget of $10.8 million.

This amount is $4.5 million less than the original 2024 estimate of $15.3 million.

Commissioner Brent Springer cast the dissenting vote, saying the contract may not protect taxpayers.

Commissioner Jimmy Tate said he doesn’t want a repeat of what is going on with the Central Pender Park project.

“We don’t want to happen what happened at Pender Park where we see it now at the new park where we’ve had all type of engineering design delays and extra costs and change orders just been extra nominal,” Tate said. “it will delay this project long term and we don’t need this. They waited long enough.”

The project Tate is referring to was slated for completion back in September, but is still unfinished and over-budget.

Groundbreaking on the library is expected to start sometime in March and is scheduled to open in 2027.