Ground broken for long-awaited Monett Library
Barry-Lawrence Regional Library director, Gina Milburn, shared her excitement about the planned, new 20,000 square-foot Monett Library at a ground-breaking ceremony Tuesday. Photo by Sheila Harris.
August 25, 2021
Sheila Harris
A large crowd of excited residents were on hand in Monett for the official ground-breaking ceremony for the new Monett branch of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library District Tuesday morning. The ceremony marked a long-awaited moment on more than a decade-long journey fraught with many obstacles.
Called “The Flagship Location,” by library director, Gina Milburn, the new Monett facility, to be located on the northeast corner of East Park and Airport Road, will more than triple the existing library’s footprint and feature 20,000 square feet of amenities, including separate reading/study areas for children, teens and adults, conference rooms (one with a kitchen), an indoor lounge with a coffee bar, an outdoor patio and a drive-through window, plus plenty of TVs and computers.
In her address to those in attendance, former library board president, Ann Hall, called the planned library “one more jewel in Monett, the crown of southwest Missouri.”
Lawrence County presiding commissioner Bob Senninger thanked Director Milburn and the library board for the hard work they put in to make the project happen.
“Never forget,” he said, “putting your hands on a good book and being able to turn the pages is one of the greatest privileges there is.”
Former State Librarian Sarah Parker shared memories of her childhood, when, after World War II, her family moved to Monett.
“We moved into a little house on the corner of Third and Scott Streets,” Parker said, “and during my growing up years, I could walk to the public library.”
Also on hand to address the audience were former library director, Jean Berg; Monett City Commissioner, Ken Gaspar; and Missouri Senator, Mike Moon.
Library director Gina Milburn told the gathered crowd she had been assured by contractor R.E. Smith that, “by this time next year,” the new facility will be complete.
Sheila Harris
A large crowd of excited residents were on hand in Monett for the official ground-breaking ceremony for the new Monett branch of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library District Tuesday morning. The ceremony marked a long-awaited moment on more than a decade-long journey fraught with many obstacles.
Called “The Flagship Location,” by library director, Gina Milburn, the new Monett facility, to be located on the northeast corner of East Park and Airport Road, will more than triple the existing library’s footprint and feature 20,000 square feet of amenities, including separate reading/study areas for children, teens and adults, conference rooms (one with a kitchen), an indoor lounge with a coffee bar, an outdoor patio and a drive-through window, plus plenty of TVs and computers.
In her address to those in attendance, former library board president, Ann Hall, called the planned library “one more jewel in Monett, the crown of southwest Missouri.”
Lawrence County presiding commissioner Bob Senninger thanked Director Milburn and the library board for the hard work they put in to make the project happen.
“Never forget,” he said, “putting your hands on a good book and being able to turn the pages is one of the greatest privileges there is.”
Former State Librarian Sarah Parker shared memories of her childhood, when, after World War II, her family moved to Monett.
“We moved into a little house on the corner of Third and Scott Streets,” Parker said, “and during my growing up years, I could walk to the public library.”
Also on hand to address the audience were former library director, Jean Berg; Monett City Commissioner, Ken Gaspar; and Missouri Senator, Mike Moon.
Library director Gina Milburn told the gathered crowd she had been assured by contractor R.E. Smith that, “by this time next year,” the new facility will be complete.
