Around the County

Library expansion plans ... at last, a plan!

By Pat Stuart
Posted 10/18/22

FINALLY!!!  After years of:

• study and scut work; 

• and COVID; 

• and finding out what the experts say the Powell community needs;

• and learning what …

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Around the County

Library expansion plans ... at last, a plan!

Posted

FINALLY!!!  After years of:

• study and scut work; 

• and COVID; 

• and finding out what the experts say the Powell community needs;

• and learning what the community wants; 

• and fundraising; 

• and rising construction costs;

• and working with an architect...

The library friends and trustees have an architect’s renderings and floor plans along with the details needed to estimate cost. Since we included all the bells and whistles we could think of (to see where the price tag would top out), we’re going to have to pare the plans back to what we can afford. That, though, is just fine. In the meantime, the renderings and plans will be discussed at the county commissioner’s meeting on Tuesday and displayed to anyone interested at the Powell Library on Nov. 12. Everyone is invited to come, fall in love with or critique the plans, and enjoy a children’s carnival with games and prizes galore plus free food and a live auction.

Some people are still asking why we need a bigger footprint for our library?  

Because that’s what happens when communities grow as Powell has been. Since the library first opened in 1930 to a town with a population of 1,156, the library has expanded three times. The building we now have reflects that, its roof clearly showing its add-on history. Check it out by flying your drone over for an aerial view or come on Nov. 12 to study a rendering.  

You’ll see how the Powell Library has built out as a reflection of our community since Camp Colter days when the ladies of the camp, dreaming of developing a town, launched the first ever library fundraiser. Now, we’re carrying on in the old tradition, but it’s no longer your granny’s library. What the ladies accomplished with their early efforts, though, would leave them agog at what they started. They had wanted what they considered a necessary institution — second only to a church. It was to be a place to house knowledge and information for a new town. That meant books.  

For us? Those days are long gone, and libraries (including ours) have evolved to meet the needs of a diverse, home-schooling ... big/small data age. Libraries are also community centers, as ladies did know, a place where everyone is welcome to browse, relax, use the resources, and meet each other. Where services are free.

We also know that libraries are key local institutions, many people basing their judgment about a community and its culture on the quality of its library. The Camp Colter ladies certainly thought that was true, and some things just don’t change.  

Curious now about what the library’s future will look like?

Mark your calendars to stop by on Nov. 12 to see what the architects envision. There will be free food starting at 11 a.m. along with a children’s carnival — that is, lots of free games and many, many prizes.  The fundraising piece of the puzzle is a live auction starting at noon.

What will be auctioned?

We’re asking everyone to look around at your “stuff,” identify an item or items you would really like to sell or would otherwise be happy to see in another home and donate it to the auction. You’ll be following the fundraising tradition set by the Camp Colter ladies, plus it’ll be fun to watch friends and neighbors bidding.

It’ll be even more enjoyable to get back half of what your item(s) sell. The other half will go into the library’s building fund.

You can’t beat it. It’s a good deed plus extra income!

Auction items are coming in already. In this case, I’m putting my money where my mouth is and donating the Ford F-250 I once used to haul horses to shows. No more farm, no more horses, no need for the truck. Since it was used for little else, it’s in great shape, and I’m hoping any of you thinking of a used truck in your future will come and bid on it and all the other great items we expect to have.

The truck will be in the parking lot of the Powell Library after Nov. 4 and selected items will be in the library for viewing.  

Why Nov. 4? Because we’re asking all of you to bring your items to us at any of the libraries (Powell, Cody, Meeteetse) on Nov. 4 between 10 a.m.-noon.

Mark your calendars, please.

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