{
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    "slug": "old-city-hall-becomes-a-library",
    "headline": "old city hall becomes a library",
    "deck": "An 80-year-old downtown Anchorage landmark is about to become a public library.",
    "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/story/old-city-hall-becomes-a-library",
    "section": "Politics",
    "area": "Anchorage",
    "published_at": "2026-07-09T20:00:00+00:00",
    "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:28:51.003895+00:00",
    "body_md": "Old City Hall, an 80-year-old building on Fourth Avenue in downtown Anchorage, is being converted into a new downtown branch of the Anchorage Public Library. Construction is set to begin this summer, with doors expected to open in early 2027. The library will occupy the ground floor, in a space currently used by Visit Anchorage.\n\nThe renovation is funded by a $2.5 million COVID relief grant approved by the Alaska Legislature. That grant expires at the end of 2026 if it isn't spent, which is driving the timing to start construction now.\n\nMoney to operate the new library will come from a trust held by the Anchorage Library Foundation, now worth more than $7 million. The trust was bequeathed by longtime Anchorage resident Janet Goetz, who specified that the funds support a downtown library serving residents, workers, and visitors.\n\nThe project turns a long-standing downtown landmark into a public amenity, decades after Goetz's bequest first set the plan in motion.",
    "sources": [
      {
        "url": "https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/02/05/construction-start-new-downtown-anchorage-library-this-summer/",
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    "slug": "old-city-hall-becomes-a-library",
    "summary": "Anchorage's 80-year-old Old City Hall on Fourth Avenue is being converted into a downtown branch of the Anchorage Public Library, funded by a $2.5 million state grant, with construction starting summer 2026 and opening expected early 2027; operations will be funded by a $7 million trust from Janet Goetz.",
    "key_facts": [
      "Old City Hall on Fourth Avenue in downtown Anchorage is 80 years old and will become a public library branch",
      "Construction is set to start this summer and doors are expected to open in early 2027",
      "Renovation is funded by a $2.5 million COVID relief grant from the Alaska Legislature that expires at the end of 2026 if unspent",
      "Library operations will be funded by a trust held by the Anchorage Library Foundation worth more than $7 million",
      "The trust was bequeathed by longtime Anchorage resident Janet Goetz to fund a downtown library"
    ],
    "faq": [],
    "claims": [
      {
        "claim": "Old City Hall's ground floor, currently used by Visit Anchorage, will become a new downtown branch of the Anchorage Public Library",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/02/05/construction-start-new-downtown-anchorage-library-this-summer/",
        "source_label": "alaskasnewssource.com"
      },
      {
        "claim": "The renovation is funded by a $2.5 million COVID relief grant approved by the Alaska Legislature that expires at the end of 2026 if unspent",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/02/05/construction-start-new-downtown-anchorage-library-this-summer/",
        "source_label": "alaskasnewssource.com"
      },
      {
        "claim": "The library's operating funds will come from a trust held by the Anchorage Library Foundation worth more than $7 million, bequeathed by Janet Goetz",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/02/05/construction-start-new-downtown-anchorage-library-this-summer/",
        "source_label": "alaskasnewssource.com"
      },
      {
        "claim": "Construction is expected to begin this summer and the library is expected to open in early 2027",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/02/05/construction-start-new-downtown-anchorage-library-this-summer/",
        "source_label": "alaskasnewssource.com"
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        "name": "Old City Hall"
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        "name": "Janet Goetz",
        "title": "longtime Anchorage resident"
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    "event_dates": [
      {
        "date": "2026-07",
        "label": "Construction set to begin this summer"
      },
      {
        "date": "2027-01",
        "label": "Library expected to open"
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-12",
        "label": "Relief grant deadline"
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    "disclosure": "Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing.",
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