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Brief History of the Alvarado Public Library
Back in 1985 the idea of having a library in
Alvarado was just a dream. It
was made possible by the donation of an old grocery store by David
and Carolyn Waldrip of David’s Grocery stores in 1986, a $100,000.00 matching grant from the
Texas State Library, a $50,000.00 matching grant from the Meadows
Foundation, and over $50,000.00 in local contributions from many
individuals, organizations and businesses, including $5000.00 from
the Alvarado State Bank and $2,500.00 from the Alvarado National
Bank. Thanks to several years of hard work and
fund raising efforts, of numerous people and groups, the dream of
the Alvarado Public Library and Senior Citizens Center finally became a reality in
1989.
Our
Library/Senior Center building served the public for over 13
years and as
most of you know, the building was condemned March 19th,
2002. Prior to the building's closure the Library Board
and City Manager had already been discussing various solutions for
the re-location of the library and Senior Citizens Center.
Many of us began searching for temporary buildings and the cost of
leasing or buying portable buildings was discussed. The
Senior Citizens Center found a suitable building to purchase and remodel.
After the
old Library/Seniors building was condemned, the
City Manger and I once again scoured the area looking for a building
that could be used by the library. There were no suitable
buildings available for the library to purchase and remodel for less
than $550,000.00. That amount was simply too high to be
practical. No one offered to donate a building for a new
library.
In May
of 2002 the City provided property for the new building's
location. The Alvarado 4B Board allocated up to $155,000.00 for the new
building. The library board committed $25, 000.00 in revenue and
donations and transferred the money into the library's new Building
Fund Account. Over $18,000 of that original money has been
spent on soil samples, preparatory dirt work and architectural fees.
On April 22, 2003 we submitted a grant request to TXI/Chapparal Steel for
1,100 cu. yds of concrete and various sizes of rebar for
the foundation and parking lot. TXI/Chapparal Steel has promised to
supply the rebar for the project but they could not supply the concrete so we
changed the specifications for the project and are now planning to have an
asphalt parking lot.
A few members of the local community have already stepped forward
and donated more than $14,000.00 in cash. Others have made pledges
of construction materials and have brought in plumbing fixtures and
other items. Two local businessmen donated half of the cost of
storing the library's collection in climate controlled storage units
for one year,
while the other half of the cost was absorbed by CKL Mini Storage.
Twenty-seven tons of stone have been donated for the building's
facade. Library patrons and other community members have made book donations
for book sales that brought in over $300.00 for the new building
project.
Another fund raising effort was
created by Meg Barrow who serves as Treasurer on the Alvarado Public
Library Advisory Board. Meg's idea was to have individuals and
businesses sponsor a square foot of the library. Sponsors could choose
which area they wished to sponsor and have the option of dedicating that
area in memory of or in honor of a friend or loved one. Since it's
inception in April 2003 we have had 363 square feet of the new library
sponsored at $25.00 per sq. ft. This sponsorship drive has raised
$9075.00. The library board and other concerned citizens have made and
sold craft items and baked goods at every event in the city for the last
year and a half. Local artist Ricky Poulter donated the proceeds from
the sales of his artwork to the library's Building Fund. Level's grocery
store allowed us to place donation jugs at each of their cashier stands
for over a month. As a result of all of these efforts the library's
Building Fund account now totals $34,829.88 and is still growing.
Thank you
for your support!
Leanna Cowan
Director
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