SLIPPERY ROCK — As it continues to raise money for a new building, Slippery Rock Community Library’s board now has its sights set on a different location.

Though it bought a three-quarter-acre property at 330 E. Water St. in 2011, the board is now negotiating a price for 2 undeveloped acres in the borough on North Main Street across from Slippery Rock Elementary School, said Jan Forrest, board president.

The property is not listed for sale.

“It is not for sale to the public, it is only for sale to the library,” Forrest said.

The property is 11.6 acres and is owned by Kathleen Schorr of Lawrenceville, Ga., according to Butler County real estate records.

Schorr is the sister of Michael Wadlow and inherited the land when he died in 2011.

Library representatives approached Wadlow about purchasing some of his land before he died, but he told them he was not interested in selling, Forrest said.

In a letter recently sent to library donors, Forrest listed advantages to the North Main Street location.

By having more land, the library could hold nature activities and would be able to expand its building in the future.

The location, on a busier road and near the elementary school, would enhance the library’s visibility in the community.

The terrain would also be more favorable, which would lower construction costs, she said in the letter.

If the board buys the land, it would hope to sell the East Water Street property. That property still has a house on it that the library rents to tenants.

If it went ahead with building the new library there, it also would have to pay to demolish the house.

As of the end of April, the library’s building fund had reached $270,000 in cash and $107,000 in stocks. The stocks were contributed by an anonymous couple who agreed to match up to $300,000 in donations.

The fund raised the first $100,000 last year and it hopes to raise $100,000 in both 2015 and 2016.

The cost of a new building is estimated to be $400,000, but that does not include buying the property, moving, furnishing the inside of the building, paving a parking lot and landscaping.

The total amount needed and a realistic start date for construction are still unknown.

“It is dependent on how soon we can raise all the money we need, we don’t want to start construction until we have the money in hand,” Forrest said.

The library is nearing its 10-year anniversary in its current location — a 183 square foot space in Slippery Rock Community Park.

It is open for 20 hours per week, has two part time employees and serves all the municipalities in the Slippery Rock School District, except Prospect.

In addition to campaigning for donations for its building fund, the library’s trustees also must raise about $20,000 each year for its regular operating budget, which comes from donors and from municipalities.

It is affiliated with the Butler County Federated Library System, but is not a member. Its current facility and staffing does not qualify it for state funding.