A joyful crowd of over 200 people attended the ribbon cutting for the New Monett Library Monday morning. The freezing temperatures did not chill the enthusiasm for the BLRL's "Flagship Library" on its first official day in service to the community.
The event started with the Scott Center's ROTC color guard hoisting the Flag above the Library for the first time to The National Anthem being sung by Library employee Amanda Gilmore. Next, the ribbon was cut by the BLRL Board Members and Gina Milburn (facilitated by the Monett Chamber of Commerce.) We heard speeches from the Library Director and Pargon Architecture's Alex Mosby and R.E. Smith's Clint Walton, who presented a fine metal plaque you may notice in the Library's entrance.
Many in the community were excited to see the new building. "It's so much better than I thought it would be," said a patron who took his teen daughter out of school to check out the new Library. Many patrons, government officials, and others simply said, "WOW!" as they toured the 22,000-square-foot facility. Library Director Gina Milburn stated, " I don't know how many folks came up and thanked me, saying you have done something wonderful here." She continued, "But, the real heroes of the Grand Opening are the members of the Monett community. Everything we do at the BLRL is funded by community support. Thank you for standing with us for almost 20 years while we worked to make this dream a reality."
The New Monett Library is located at 2200 Park St. Monett and is open 8:30 - 5:30 Monday-Saturday, with Thursdays open until 6:30. Everyone is welcome. There are fun Grand Opening Events all week; you can find out more about them by clicking here.
Special thanks to the Monett Chamber of Commerce for the photos.
