It’s about a picturesque a setting as it gets. For a home it would be a pleasure but as a library it is nearly beyond belief. And it was at that setting on Wednesday that a large crowd gathered for the opening of the new Senoia library on Pylant Street.
The 6,563 square-foot library is situated on 1.04-acres on Pylant Street and is bound on the north by residential property, on the south by the city-owned Marimac Lake. The library has parking space for 35 vehicles.
Coweta County Library System Director Barbara Osborne-Harris in her opening remarks spoke about the power of literature and the significance of the new library in the community.
Another speaker Wednesday afternoon was east Coweta County Commissioner Paul Poole.
“There were a lot of meetings and a few bumps, but look at this facility you have here,” Poole said of the library that overlooks the lake and looks more like a house than a public building. Poole thanked the library board, the Senoia City Council, city and county staff, volunteers and citizens for their work in bringing the library project to fruition.
Senoia Mayor Robert Belisle, too, noted the efforts of the large number of people in making the library a reality. Belisle also acknowledged Councilman Jeff Fisher for his hard work and individual efforts in bringing about the replacement library.
Also speaking was Coweta County Library System Trustee Jeffrey Jay Moore.
“We couldn’t have done this without the help of the citizens of Senoia and Coweta,” Moore said. “We’ve delivered a quality building to a quality set of people in a quality community. What we’ve done is to carry on an American tradition for all who want to read, study, go on the Internet and access libraries around the world.”
With that the ribbon placed near the front door was cut and the wealth of community residents filed into their new library. Some toured the building, others went straight to the bookshelves while still others walked out onto the porch, propped up their feet and gazed over at Marimac Lake and the landscaped park property that surrounds it.
Just in case the library ever needs more space, plans for the facility include the potential for an expansion of up to 50 percent additional square footage due to the positioning of the building on the site. If an expansion were ever needed it would require relocating the parking area.
Funds for the $1.7 million project project had been in place for some time. Approximately $1.2 million in funding came from from state sources while the remaining $500,000 came from a previous Coweta County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax initiative. An additional $250,000 was provided by the city.
