Mark and Tonya Spivey Public Library Nearing Completion
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com LEGACY TREE
The Vidalia-Toombs County Library is nearing the completion of its $4 million renovation, as the facility has been given a facelift and modernization to better serve the citizens of Toombs County. The facility is expected to be open to the public this March.
The project, which began last year, is running ahead of the originally scheduled renovation completion date of 2025. The state was not expected to grant funding until 2022, and those funds were set to remain banked until 2024, when site preparation and construction would begin.
Yet, because of the community’s positive response to fundraising – which had collected pledges for $685,000 within four months – the state granted $3 million for the project to begin in Fall 2021. Among the top local donors were Mark and Tonya Spivey, who gave generously to rename the library the Mark and Tonya Spivey Public Library.
All books and contents of the library were moved temporarily to the Nelle Brown Memorial Library in Lyons in November 2021, and demolition began that following December. Since then, the facility has created a new floor plan, which includes a children’s room, a sitting area, a conference area with kitchen, and more. The air conditioning system, flooring, and other details have also been completely replaced. Harry Moses Construction Company, which has worked to complete the project, has also added onto the building to house the Ladson Genealogical Library under the same roof.
According to Ohoopee Regional Library System Director Cameron Asbell, the library’s structure is anticipated to be completed by this week, leaving only interior work to be finished. Asbell says the flooring and counter tops currently await installation, and final touch-up painting is being done. Shelving is being installed and books and furniture will be moved in shortly.
Moving Procedures
The Ladson Genealogical Library was open through Friday, January 27, at its current location for holds pick-up, computer usage, and printing before closing to begin moving. Research and access to books within this library became unavailable on January 13, so that staff may begin packing up the books for the moving process, as the Ladson Genealogical Library will be the first component of the resources to move into the revamped facility. These texts will not be available again until the opening of the library’s new location in the Tonya and Mark Spivey Public Library on Jackson Street.
The Nell Brown Memorial Library also closed on Saturday, January 28, allowing resources that were temporarily relocated to this location to continued from page
be packed to return to the Mark and Tonya Spivey Public Library. This library will reopen on February 13, and will be open for 5 days a week – an accomplishment that has never been done before. “Thanks to the City of Lyons, the Toombs Board of Education, and generous donors the Nelle Brown Memorial will be open full-time at 40 hours per week and offer programs for all ages. Prior to this, the library was limited in hours and staff; so, we are so thankful for all of the support,” Asbell commented.
It will take the month of February to move everything in and get the renovated facility set up for the public. During this time, the library will ask for public volunteers to sign-up to help move the resources. These sign-up sheets are available online on the library’s Facebook page and through calls to 912537-9283. Emails may also be sent to sign up; these emails should be directed to jonesj@ohoopeelibrary. org.
“We will sign people up for a 2-hour commitment but they can leave early or stay longer. It is just so we can stagger volunteers and make sure they have something to do. Last time, everyone worked so hard that we finished ahead of schedule and had to turn several volunteers away, but this time we are loading the shelves and it is a slower process. You spend more time singing the ABC song and putting the numbers back in the correct order so it will take longer.
Asbell elaborated, “That seems like a lot of time, but we are moving 100,000 books, 3,000 rolls of microfilm, 11 filing cabinets of genealogy research, furniture, business office files, computers as well as all of those big shelving units, so it is a massive undertaking. So, like I said, volunteers are needed and appreciated because they are life savers on a project of this scale.”
During this moving time, books will not be due, as Asbell says people can just hold onto them and turn them in when the library opens in Vidalia or drop them in the book drop at the Nelle Brown Library. People who normally pick up their holds in Vidalia can pick them up in Lyons or email the library and they will make arrangements to meet them and deliver their holds.
The Legacy Tree
People may also get involved with the renovation of the library through the purchase of leaves for the Legacy Tree, which will hang on the walls within the library. This tree will commemorate generous individuals in the community who donate in honor of themselves or loved ones. There are three leaf colors which depict a range in donation; bronze leaves are $500, silver leaves are $1,000, and gold leaves are $2,500. Leaf purchases may be done online on the Ohoopee Regional Library System website under the Renovation tab, or through contacting Asbell at asbellc@ ohoopeelibrary.org.
Grand Opening
According to Asbell, information on the library’s soft opening in March and Grand Opening in April will be shared at a later date.
LEAF A LEGACY – Those interested in contributing to the library may leave a legacy while doing so, as the library is now accepting leaf purchases for its Legacy Tree, which hangs within the library.
