Patrons of the Gainesville branch of the Hall County Library have been anxiously awaiting for the brand new building construction to be complete, and as the walls have come down and then up again, Library Director Lisa MacKinney said they're almost there.
"We're moving right along, hoping that the contractor will be done with their portion of activity sometime in July," said MacKinney. "So we're looking at maybe, possibly an opening sometime in late August or September."
The branch has been operating out of the former Turner Wood and Smith Insurance building across the street for the time being. MacKinney said during an update at Monday's Library Board meeting while the outside changes are very obvious, they're excited that the inside is also taking shape.
"You can see the rooms now," she said. "For a while it was kind of hard to tell what was what, but you can really feel now what the space will be like in the end."
MacKinney said they're now finalizing decision on furniture, paint, carpet and the like. Then it will be time to install the shelves and replenish the stacks.
The outside of the building has a different look than the previous facility. Anyone headed down West Academy Street will notice the new building boasts a lighter-colored, paneled material instead of brick, like the previous building.
"They're still finishing up some sections of the ACM panels that are going around the outside. It's a really hearty material that should last us for many, many, many years, so we're excited to see how that really looks in reality," said MacKinney. "We've all seen the drawings but I don't know that anyone expected the reality to look even better than the drawings."
There are some additional concrete pours that need to be completed, as well as adding landscaping, to finish the outside's final look, MacKinney said.
As the library system prepares to welcome readers back to the Gainesville branch, MacKinney said they also have a funding opportunity for those who want to be a permanent part of the new facility.
"The library board wanted every family to be able to be a part of this library in a permanent way if they wanted to," said MacKinney. The feature is called The Legacy Wall, and features plaques. "You can buy different size plaques in honor of a family member, in memory of a family member or a friend, or just with your family's name on it."
The plaques range from $100 to $5,000. MacKinney said they wanted everyone to be able to achieve a place on the wall.
"Over a year, most families can save $100," said MacKinney. "That was our goal, was to make sure that your little one who loves the library could save their allowance for a year and be able to be a part of it if they wanted to be."
More information on how to fund a plaque is available on the library website.
MacKinney said they were also fortunate enough to have some room sponsorships for individual spaces in the library to help put their renovated library together.
