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By Brandy
Yates
The Reporter Published
March 04, 2003
Thanks to some help from Sen. Richard Shelby,
R-Alabama, city officials in Boaz are much closer to breaking
ground on a brand new, state-of-the-art public
library.
Shelby recently announced he’d secured a
$250,000 federal grant for the project, which has been in the
works for more than two years. Mayor Tim Walker, who began
working on providing a new library for the citizens of Boaz
when he entered office in October of 2000, is very excited
about the appropriation and said it certainly brings them much
closer to having a new facility.
“We’re getting close
to being able to get started with the next stage of the
library. We’re just so pleased with how much money we’ve been
able to secure for a new library. Sen. Shelby getting this
grant for us was very generous, and we’re very pleased he
considered a new library for Boaz an important enough project
that we would seek funding for it,” Walker said.
Help
from several grants, donations and fundraising projects has
allowed the city to accrue more than $350,000 for the project,
$255,000 of which was bequeathed to the library by the late
Christine Murdock Wallace. Other funding for the project comes
from a $2.1 million bond issue the council voted 5-1 to seek
in October 2001 to use for capital projects such as the
construction of the new public library as well as a senior
citizens center.
Some of the money for the library has
been spent on preliminary work, such as architect’s fees;
therefore, as of Friday, the account contained $234,480, a
figure that does not include the $250,000 federal grant. It’s
estimated the cost will be somewhere in the range of $1
million to construct the new library, which will be built
across the street from Julia Street Memorial United Methodist
Church.
Donations from business or individuals are
still being accepted. Librarian Doris Singleton said she and
her staff are working on fliers that will be distributed to
various entities detailing how to make a donation for the
library. She said donations can be made in memory or in honor
of someone. Donors’ names will appear on a plaque in the new
library, or Singleton said if a donation is earmarked for a
specific need, such as a desk or projector, then the donor’s
name will be placed on that object.
“By giving to the
fund, people can become a part of the library,” she
said.
Although they are current seeking “bigger
donations,” Singleton said those wanting to help, who may not
have a lot of money to give, can still do their part. Copies
of “A Library of Recipes,” a cookbook containing recipes from
library staff and patrons, are still available for $12.50 at
either the library or City Hall. Additionally, Singleton said
a “spare change jar” is located at the library’s circulation
desk in which visitors can empty their pockets for a good
cause.
“Every little bit helps. We’ll take what we can
get,” she said,
Singleton is also very pleased with the
money Shelby secured for the project and said the funds mean
progress on the venture can now move ahead.
“What this
means is that we should be able to start on the project as
soon as possible. We’re really looking forward to it starting
because we’re having to take books off the shelf everyday to
put up the new ones. We’re doing the best we can with what
we’ve got, but we need so much more,” she said.
L.
Hughes Associates Architects of Huntsville has completed the
floor plan and design of the building, which will feature a
large front porch with classic white columns to complement the
area of town in which it is being built – a history-rich area
where buildings, such as the Whitman-Hunt House, home to the
Boaz Bed and Breakfast; Julia Street Memorial United Methodist
Church and the old Boaz Elementary School, are all
located.
“The traditional style will fit into the
traditional neighborhood for which it is being built,” Walker
said.
The two-story building will house a meeting room
with seating for 150 people that can be sub-divided into
smaller spaces. The Sand Mountain room will be located at the
back of the first floor. This room will be dedicated to
preserving the history of not only Boaz but all of Sand
Mountain.
“It is our responsibility to protect our
heritage as well as provide programs to manage the cultural
change in our city,” Walker said, who added it’s his belief
the library would just be a box without a variety of
resources.
“The library is not just a place to check
out books anymore. It’s a place to access information, educate
the mind, enhance programs for all residents and to serve as a
valuable tool for local industry,” Walker said.
When TS
Tech was considering the move to Boaz, their first
consideration was the type of school in the area and the
second was the public library, Walker added.
“The new
library program will be a positive step toward recruiting new
industry to our area,” he said.
Walker said it’s
important for the future of the city that programs which will
“help foster changes in our culture and, at the same time,
protect our heritage” be undertaken. Constructing a new
library falls within that area, he said.
“There are
some areas of Boaz I don’t ever want to change. I grew up here
and want to see some parts of Boaz stay the same forever; but,
change is inevitable, and if you don’t address it, you’re
going to be left behind. I think the cities that make an
effort to try to foster changes in their culture will be way
ahead in the future,” Walker said. |
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