Library dedicates renovated facility to area citizens

When the Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library kicks off its dedication ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, the focus of the celebration will be thanking area citizens for their support for the expansion and renovation project.

"We are pleased to be able to present the citizens of Kinston and Lenoir County with their expanded and renovated library," said Agnes Ho, director of libraries. "Our patrons have played a huge role in our expansion.

"We would like to encourage our patrons to join us in celebrating the completion of their project."

Simply put, this project would have been impossible without citizen support. The vision to expand the library began in 2002 when the public library joined with the Friends of the Library to purchase property adjacent to the library. In 2003, the library hired a consultant to explore the possibility of expanding and renovating the facility.

Then the Friends began exploring ways to fund the project. After months of raising money privately, several members of the Friends board and library's board of directors decided funding needed to come before area voters.

On Nov. 2, 2004, voters in Kinston and Lenoir County said "yes" to the project by a two-to-one margin, approving a bond referendum for $2.6 million. The process of expanding and improving the local facility began in earnest.

Between the approval of funds and actual groundbreaking, nearly two years of planning, bidding and revamping followed. The building committee decided to pursue expansion and renovation in three phases. The first phase would add more than 7,000 square feet to the existing building.

This phase also included expanding the Schechter Library.

Phase Two included enlarging and renovating the Children's Room, adding the little bank Computer Center, and renovating staff areas. This phase began in September 2007 and was completed in March 2008.

Phase Three, completed in May 2008, targeted the Reference Desk and stacks, and added study rooms and a Local History Room.

During these phases of construction, Hurricane Katrina drove building costs into the stratosphere, forcing the building committee to constantly reassess priorities. Bond money would be spent for bricks, mortar and other necessities. As a result, some aesthetic touches wound up on the cutting floor.

However, the Friends stepped into the breach and made the commitment to raise private funds to add the aesthetics back into the project. For instance, the covered walkway would be spared. The partition that allows the Schechter Auditorium to be divided into two usable areas was included.

In the final analysis, spending for the library expansion, including the furnishings, totaled $3.6 million. Of that total $2.6 million came from the bond referendum. The heating and air conditioning system needed replacing to the tune of $240,000. Lenoir County appropriated $120,000 and the little bank donated the other $120,000.

The City of Kinston provided a special appropriation of $100,000, and $70,820 came from an LSTA grant.

The remaining $512,680 came from private donations and pledges - from area citizens who believe in the quality of our public library and embrace its mission - from area citizens who put their dollars where their hearts were.

Now is the time for all of us to come together and see the collective dream realized.

No one can doubt we have had one of the state's finest public libraries for more than three decades.

Now our library offers facilities matching the high quality of services it provides.

Come to the library for the dedication ceremony. Be part of the celebration.

You deserve to be.

Mike Parker is a columnist for The Free Press. He can be reached at mparker16@suddenlink.net or in care of this newspaper.