By: Deborah Johnson Wood
On Tuesday, April 1, 2008 the Grandville Area Arts & Humanities (GAAH) and the Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association held a momentous groundbreaking ceremony for the area’s first contemporary LEED-certified library. The new 4,500-square-foot building will be a spacious respite from the current 900-square-foot facility.
In 1996, a dilapidated house at 1260 Grandville Avenue was purchased, renovated into the Grandville Avenue Neighborhood Library, and staffed with volunteers. Its purpose: to provide a beautiful and secure place for neighborhood children to gather and learn about the arts and culture, do their homework, and be exposed to the joys of reading.
“In 2007, we had 11,000 visits to the library, triple the number of visits three years ago,” says Marjorie Kuipers, executive director of the GAAH which administers the library program. “Our after school program regularly draws between 25 and 40 kids for homework help or to use the three computers.”
Special programs can draw up to 100 youth, a nearly overwhelming number for the small space.
The proposed library will have enclosed rooms—something the existing library doesn’t have—for after school classes and adult literacy programs. Eleven new computers, a large multipurpose space for arts programs, and a café-like area where kids can enjoy nutritious after school snacks. More books, of course, also is part of the deal.
Plans call for skylights to let in natural light, and possible photovoltaic panels to offset some of the energy consumption.
Bazzani Associates designed the library and will handle construction. Kuipers expects to move into the new space this fall.
Source: Marjorie Kuipers, Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities
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Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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