Contractors will have just under six months to finish the conversion of the former Kemper Military School gymnasium into the new home of the Boonville branch of the Boonslick Regional Library.

The 118-year-old building was already in the process of becoming Kemper’s library when the school closed over 20 years ago. Library board member Mary Pat Abele says one critical part of the renovation is the extension of a stairwell to the lower level.

Abele adds that the $1.1 million price tag will include upgrades to the building’s electrical wiring.

Boonslick Regional Library has selected GBH Builders of Jefferson City to complete the work. Abele says the board is also working to raise enough funds to purchase additional furniture for the new location, which has twice the space as the current library on Main Street in Boonville.