NATCHEZ — The Concordia Parish Library is looking to expand its services.

The library in Vidalia is housed in the former courthouse, which is owned by the Concordia Parish Police Jury.

Library Director Amanda Taylor said in 2006 the police jury gave the library two rooms on the first floor of the courthouse.

Taylor said the library board has always planned to utilize those two rooms, but at the time they were working on the library.

“We wanted to finish that Vidalia library,” she said. “The board always saves their money. We had to save a little money back to be able to do this.

“They think they’re in good financial condition now, so that’s the goal they’re working toward.”

Taylor said one room will be a conference room with a capacity for 12 to 14 people.

She said that room will be open to the business community.

The other room will be converted into a computer lab, which Taylor said will be a learning lab.

It will house 10 computers used for adult computer classes, she said.

She said the entire project will cost between $200,000 and $300,000.

But before the project can get going, the roof of the building needs to be fixed, Taylor said.

She said she requested that Police Jury President Melvin Ferrington, an architect from Architecture Associates, of Monroe, La., a roofing official and Juror Whest Shirley examine the roof.

“They were all in agreement that the roof needed a lot of work,” she said. “I think they decided it needs a total new roof.”

She said it makes good sense for the building to be stable before doing any expansion work.

“We were going to be spending money on the first floor, and we wanted to make sure the building was in good shape,” she said.

The Concordia Parish Police Jury discussed replacing the roof at Monday’s meeting.

Quotes have already been gathered for its replacement, and it would cost $71,740.

Juror Randy Temple said no money had been budgeted for such a project, and a motion was made to get an opinion from the courthouse and finance committees to be presented to the jurors at their Feb. 9 meeting.

The courthouse is also in need of a new heating and cooling system, Ferrington said.

He said it is antiquated and outdated and needs to be replaced because it’s only working at half capacity.

A $90,000 grant is in the works, and Ferrington said he is 90 percent sure the parish will be given the grant.

“We’re in the final stages of it, and we’re pretty sure we’re going to get it,” he said.

Temple suggested that the grant money for the heating and cooling system be transferred over to fix the roof, instead.

“That would be like robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Ferrington said.