Bookworms unite — It takes a village to raise a cultural hub

There are about 35,000 books packed into the Pell City Public Library, a building downtown that once served residents as a post office. And, unfortunately, library staff members say that’s about all it can hold.

“We really can’t take any more books in the current space,” said Assistant Director Susan Mann. “That’s one of the reasons we’re so excited.”

On Friday, Sept. 18, the Pell City Library Guild Board hosted a Hard Hat Tour at the former CenturyLink Building on US 231 in Pell City. The building, purchased by the City for $1 million, will soon be known as the Pell City Municipal Complex and will be the Library’s new home next year.

As Mann spoke, she gestured to the vast, dimly lit room that featured nothing more than concrete floors, steel ceiling beams and giant windows in the background. Right now the Complex has a long way to go to reach the vision that’s been set out for it, but within the next year residents will have access to “one of the finest libraries anywhere in Northeast Alabama,” said Mayor Joe Funderburg.

“We have tried to create an atmosphere that’s pleasing to everyone — something that’s progressive and something this community can be proud of,” Funderburg said. “We think we’re going to do that with this building.”

The new library will be approximately three times the size of the current space. To make the most of it, the City hired Williams Blackstock Architects of Birmingham, which has imagined an open, vibrant area highlighted by variety of timeless but whimsical designs.

“I really wanted the tree,” Teen Librarian Kelly Cardenas said, describing the artificial central feature of the children’s section. “It’s something I’ve asked for since we started discussing the new library, and I’m so excited we’re getting it.”

Besides the tree, a tall metal trunk and branches that connect to circular structures on the ceiling, the new library will also feature a conference room, several window-lit studies, a teen room, a storytime area and an arts and crafts room.

“Just about every children’s activity we hold has a craft element to it,” Mann said. “ Now we’ll have a dedicated space.”

During the Hard Hat Tour, City leaders described a long history in trying to find new space for the Pell City Library. City Manager Brian Muenger said it was his understanding that the concept had been around for 15 years, and City Construction Manager Jason Goodgame joked with the audience that he had been working on the project for the past nine.

The City purchased the building from CenturyLink and closed last October. At that time, the 15,000-square-foot space where the library will locate was a call center for the company. Since then, City employees cleared out truckloads of cubicles, tore down walls and removed thousands of square feet of drop ceiling.

In July 2015, the Council approved contracts of approximately $2 million to complete the building, and Muenger said he expected the City to move in April or May of 2016.

“I look around this building, and I just can’t help but be extremely excited,” Muenger said. “Every week when I stop by there’s something new. I think over the next few months, we’ll be very impressed and very excited to see what this space can eventually become and what it can mean to the community.”

But the $2 million contracts don’t include everything the new library needs, and that’s where the Guild comes in. According to Laurie Regan, Capital Campaign Chair for the Guild Board, there remains about $257,000 in content, genealogy, technology and furniture needs for the new facility that the Guild hopes to raise as construction continues. Regan said it’s the first time the Library has undertaken a capital fundraising effort since it refurbished the old post office in the 1970s.

Gift recognition for the new Pell City Public Library begins at $200, and several naming opportunities are available from seating areas at $2,500 to the central circulation desk for $100,000.

Those interested in supporting can do so online by visiting pellcitylibrary.com and clicking the “Library Guild” tab at the top of the page. Donations are also accepted at the library, located next to City Hall on 1st Ave. in Pell City.

For more, contact the library at (205) 884-1015.