The Astoria Library is outdated and in need of renovation.

The City Council gave unanimous support Tuesday night to a plan to renovate the Astoria Library, essentially going back to a feasibility study that explored the same idea in 2013.

Renovation work on the $5 million project would begin in 2019 and wrap in 2020.

The council’s vote marks a turning point in discussions about the library’s future.

For years city councilors, library board members and others have proposed and debated a variety of alternatives — everything from building an entirely new library to knocking down the neighboring former Waldorf Hotel to make room for an expansion. None of the ideas drew unanimous support and fundraising efforts stalled.

Now, with the council’s vote, the nonprofit Astoria Oregon Public Library Foundation led by former Mayor Willis Van Dusen can begin fundraising. The foundation’s goal is to raise $3.5 million, an amount Van Dusen says is “the right size for this community to handle if we all do it together.”

The 2013 plan estimated it would cost approximately $3.4 million to renovate the 50-year-old building, a price tag that included the cost of expanding into the library basement. Adjusting for inflation, Library Director Jimmy Pearson estimates the cost now would be about $5 million total. The city has already set aside just over $150,000 for initial design work and any building maintenance issues, as well as $1.6 million of city funds for future construction.

The City Council’s vote is only the start of many decisions to come, including exactly what form the renovations will take and the final configuration and utilization of the spaces inside the building. But Tuesday’s standing room-only crowd, including library staff, library and foundation board members and Friends of the Library members, loudly applauded the vote.

Mayor Arline LaMear, a former librarian, had unsuccessfully advocated for a new building, but said the council’s decision was “wonderful.”

“We really couldn’t go forward with a lot of these things until we had a unanimous decision from council,” she said.

“Concrete direction is what just happened,” said Kate Summers, Astoria Library Board chairwoman and a member of the Astoria Oregon Public Library Foundation. “Before there were too many options and not enough buy-in.”

Through the 2013 feasibility study, they have already heard what the public wants, she said. Now, they know what the City Council wants.

Van Dusen emphasized the need for community involvement in fundraising efforts going forward.

“We need to build a foundation on why this project is important and we need to start locally with the schools,” he said.

Pearson said that, during his hiring process last year, he was honest when asked about his take on the challenges of building a new library or renovating the current library.

“If we want the best library we can get, then it is going to take all of us,” he said.

The building will turn 50 years old this October and, the 2013 study stated, “the infrastructure has reached the end of its useful life.” But, the study added, “while the building systems are obsolete, the basic structure and envelope of the building continue to be serviceable long term.” The study concluded that “there is a lot of potential in the building for continued service to the community through a comprehensive renovation effort.”

“For my part, as a 40-year resident of Clatsop County and also as a librarian, the timing on this could not be more perfect,” said Cheryl Johnson, a member of the foundation, during a public comment period Tuesday.

Pearson and the library staff are reaching out “beautifully” to children in the community, she said, pointing to a program that encourages children to read by having them read to dogs. “They’re putting together programs, reaching out to teens, not waiting for them to come in the door.”

It’s time for the building to be physically updated, she said, “because you have this fabulous staff that is moving forward.”