BIRCH BAY, Wash.- The future of a proposed library in Birch Bay is heading back to the drawing board.

The Whatcom County Library System said that while $2 million in state funding remains available to build a new library, the state’s Department of Commerce has rejected its use for a proposed smaller space.

A scope change request, which sought to shrink the size and cost of the library, was submitted to the Commerce Department in 2022.

The request came after voters rejected two separate ballots in 2021 and 2022 for the originally proposed 7,600 square foot building.

The larger library plan would have been funded, in part, by the $2 million state grant, but would cost about $6.5 million in total to build.

WCLS said in a press release that they will be working with library staff and community members to consider other options for library services in Birch Bay.