Friday, Apr. 1, 2005

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Tyrone to get new library building

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Tyrone will get a new library building that will be three times the size of the current facility, thanks to $1.27 million in the state budget passed by the Georgia legislature this week, officials said.

They’ve run out of room at the current library building, stacking books on top of bookshelves and storing some books in the attic because there’s no other room for them, said chief librarian Julie Digby.

“My head’s still spinning,” Digby said Thursday morning of the news about the funding for the new library. The new building has not been designed yet, and that will determine what amenities the library could possibly offer in a children’s area and more computers, among other possibilities, Digby noted.

The state will float a bond to help pay for the construction, with the city kicking in $461,000 and also providing the land for the new 8,000 sq. ft. building that will cost a total of roughly $1.7 million.

Town Manager Barry Amos said the town has several sites where the library could be located, but no action has been taken to select a specific site yet.

“We are just ecstatic,” said Amos. “Senator (Ronnie) Chance was instrumental in getting us in the budget.”

Amos said the town’s library proposal “just missed” last year’s budget, and this year the original budget proposed by Gov. Sonny Perdue funded the top three ranked library proposals, just leaving Tyrone out because its plan was ranked fourth in the state. Chance managed to convince the Senate to put the funding in for the town, Amos said.

Chance said the town has been working on this funding project since current U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland took office as a state Rep. in 1993. The new building is needed due to the growth of Tyrone and the surrounding area, he added.

“I think it’s a great plus for our citizens and it’s long overdue,” Chance said. “We’re excited about it.”

Amos also credited Walter Murphy, the director of the Flint River Regional Library System, for helping with the process.

“We are looking forward to building the best library in Fayette County,” Amos said.

The state funds, which will come from bond proceeds, won’t be available until July 1 at the earliest, Amos noted.

The expansion will allow the library to offer more technology in addition to the traditional compliment of books and periodicals, a state library official said. Currently, the library has just four computers for public use, Digby said.

The legislature-approved budget also included a provision to keep the state’s homestead exemption at $8,000. That results in a savings of about $256 for the average Fayette residential property tax bill, but the actual numbers fluctuate because some residents only pay county taxes while others also pay city taxes, noted Fayette County Tax Commissioner George Wingo.