Venice is just one of the many communities across the state -and the country- who are hoping for continued large donations to fund projects that would otherwise not be affordable. Notably in Venice, the new library and its next door neighbor, a new archive building. Dr. Bill Jervey made a $1M donation to the library, while Julia Cousin donated a $1M for the archives building. Despite the construction and deep pockets of donors, the libraries are staring down an 11 percent budget cut next year under a recent budget submitted by Sarasota County leaders. The county is expected to further pare down the numbers and finalize cuts by February 1st. Either way, construction in Venice will continue. As for the upkeep and filling those shelves…that may be lost in a numbers crunch.
