Wrigley Tap Room hosting fundraising night Thursday for Carnegie Center project

The non-profit group dedicated to restoring and preserving Corbin’s old Carnegie Library building is partnering with a downtown Corbin restaurant in order to raise money for the project.

The Wrigley Taproom and Eatery will be hosting a special fundraising night for the Carnegie Center Thursday from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m. Fifteen percent of all net sales will be donated to the Carnegie Center of Corbin, Inc. to help with the building’s purchase and restoration.

“It’s very nice of them to do this,” said Rob Miller, newly elected President of the Carnegie Center of Corbin board of directors.

“We will have some Carnegie Center note cards for sale, and we plan to sell raffle tickets for a print of the building done by local artist Rita Karr.

We’d like everybody to come out and join us and be a part of the project.”

Corbin’s Carnegie Library was constructed in 1916 on Center Street, now Roy Kidd Ave. The building also served as the home of WYGO radio station in the 1970s. First Baptist Church is currently using the basement of the building to house its food pantry. The corporation’s goal is to restore the building so it may serve as a local meeting place for local groups and clubs, a community space, and home for historical archives, as well as a location to offer educational and artistic programs.

“We want it to be a repository for Corbin history, and we also want it to be used for lots of events,” Miller said. “There are lots of events that happen in Corbin that don’t need a huge venue. It’s in Corbin’s downtown and I think it’s something the community could be proud of.”

Miller said approval was given to spend up to $12,000 with Integrity Architecture and Edelen Venture Services to do a “first phase” study of the building’s structural integrity, determine how to make it comply with disability accessibility laws, and to provide conceptual drawings. Miller said the board is applying for a matching grant that could pay up to $5,000 of that amount.

The board also heard a presentation from The Holler Creative, a marketing firm in downtown Corbin. He said representatives of the company agreed to help the organization with fundraising and awareness of the Carnegie Center restoration project.

Miller said the group has raised just shy of $54,000 and has enough to buy the building, but hasn’t do so yet because of additional costs that will be incurred once they own it.

“The building is $41,000 to purchase, but that doesn’t leave a lot of money,” he said. “We need more than that to buy the building because we would have to insure it and pay utilities even if we don’t do anything else with it.”

More information about the organization and how to donate is available online on Facebook, search for “Carnegie Center of Corbin.” You can also email carnegiecenterofcorbin@gmail.com. Sponsorship levels for donations are as follows: Explorer level $100 to $249; Research level $250 to $499, Patron level $500 to $999; Curator level $1,000 to $2,499; Founder level $2,500 to $4,999; Benefactor level $5,000 to $9,999; Trustee level $10,000 to $14,999; Preservation Partner $15,000 and over.