The ribbon was officially cut at the newly renovated Peachtree City Library Nov. 19 and the guests in attendance were quite impressed with what they saw inside.

Though the building has been open to the public for several weeks, Library Director Jill Prouty took those in attendance on a tour of the facility after a brief reception that featured remarks from Mayor Steve Brown, Tom Findley, the lead design architect from Leo A. Daly, Wayne Leslie of Leslie Contracting and Library Commission Chair Marie Washburn.

“The building came in on time and under budget,” said Brown. “You can’t ask for anything more.”

Brown added that he was impressed that the library offered something for all of Peachtree City’s residents and that the people behind the renovation, from the Library Commission to the architects and contractors, looked out for the interests of people of all ages. “The vote may have only passed by 79 votes, but now everyone is claiming that they were one of those 79.”

When Prouty spoke, she discussed the response to the library that she has seen among the patrons thus far. While she has heard some children call different parts of the building cool, she has also seen teens using the beverage center and study rooms. One of the contractors told her about seeing an elderly couple holding hands in front of the fire place. Jerry Boyd of Leo A. Daly echoed Prouty’s statements. “I have seen the building come to life,” he said, adding that “People make great architecture.”

The group then went on a quick tour of the library. Prouty showed off the cell phone booths near the reference desk, took guests into the Georgia history room and also gave a quick look around the children’s room, which included the skylight, the former outside of the building as the back wall of the room and a special storytime room. Soon, the guests began to walk around and examine the library on their own, perusing the shelves and taking it all in.

Dr. Lamar Veatch, the state librarian, was on hand before the ribbon cutting ceremony to offer his congratulations to the city on their new library.

“You were able to take a small library and turn it into a quality place for the community for years to come,” said Veatch, who passed on the ‘envious congratulations’ of many other libraries in the state. “You put your minds to this project and you did it.”

Saturday’s grand opening, which served as a chance for those involved to be thanked for their participation and hard work, concluded with the ribbon cutting in front of the library’s entrance.

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