October 28, 2016 at 4:41 p.m.
Library celebrates
Facility opened 20 years ago this month
Library celebrates
“This building,” former Jay County Public Library director Rosalie Clamme said Thursday, “was not an overnight success.”
As library staff, trustees and past trustees gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the construction of the library, Clamme reminded those on hand of the long process of planning involved.
It was not a process that always went smoothly.
After years of discussion and review, the project hit a serious speed bump in 1994 when a remonstrance petition succeeded in putting a general obligation bond issue on hold.
That was followed by months of work by an independent study committee — including some of the leaders of the remonstrance — that reviewed the board’s work leading up to the decision to build. When the review committee reached the same conclusion, an increased emphasis was put on raising private donations to keep the bond indebtedness within reasonable limits.
More than $600,000 was raised in donations, and the bond issue went forward.
Current library director Eric Hinderliter said Thursday he had made the final bond payment in January of this year.
Designed by K.R. Montgomery and Associates of Anderson, the library today looks much as it did when it was dedicated in October 1996, exactly one year after ground was broken for the project.
“Our facility rivals any other library in the state of Indiana,” Hinderliter said.
“We wanted a building the community could be proud of,” said Bill Hinkle, who served as president of the library’s board of trustees during the planning and construction period.
As library staff, trustees and past trustees gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the construction of the library, Clamme reminded those on hand of the long process of planning involved.
It was not a process that always went smoothly.
After years of discussion and review, the project hit a serious speed bump in 1994 when a remonstrance petition succeeded in putting a general obligation bond issue on hold.
That was followed by months of work by an independent study committee — including some of the leaders of the remonstrance — that reviewed the board’s work leading up to the decision to build. When the review committee reached the same conclusion, an increased emphasis was put on raising private donations to keep the bond indebtedness within reasonable limits.
More than $600,000 was raised in donations, and the bond issue went forward.
Current library director Eric Hinderliter said Thursday he had made the final bond payment in January of this year.
Designed by K.R. Montgomery and Associates of Anderson, the library today looks much as it did when it was dedicated in October 1996, exactly one year after ground was broken for the project.
“Our facility rivals any other library in the state of Indiana,” Hinderliter said.
“We wanted a building the community could be proud of,” said Bill Hinkle, who served as president of the library’s board of trustees during the planning and construction period.
Hinderliter said more than 2.7 million people have come through the library’s doors since it was completed. Nearly 5.9 million items have been circulated for the benefit of library patrons. The library’s public rooms have been used more than 14,000 times, and the library has presented nearly 3,000 programs reaching more than 50,000 people.
“A library,” said Hinderliter, “represents an investment in our community’s future.”
“A library,” said Hinderliter, “represents an investment in our community’s future.”
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