Prairie Grove set to open new library

Courtesy Photo Laura Hicky Kraus of Prairie Grove works on a mural in the children's section at the new Prairie Grove Public Library. It shows features of the community coming out of an open book, including the Clothesline Fair, downtown, hills in the background, square dancing and the Prairie Grove Tigers.
Courtesy Photo Laura Hicky Kraus of Prairie Grove works on a mural in the children's section at the new Prairie Grove Public Library. It shows features of the community coming out of an open book, including the Clothesline Fair, downtown, hills in the background, square dancing and the Prairie Grove Tigers.

PRAIRIE GROVE -- The city plans to open its new library this morning, the first day of spring break.

A grand opening is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. April 6. The celebration will include food and games geared toward children and families.

The new library is in the former Walmart Express, 881 W. Buchanan St. in Prairie Grove. Harps bought the building from Walmart and sold it to the city for $650,000 in December 2017.

City workers moved 66,000 items -- books, magazines, DVDs, CDs and other material -- to the new library, said Megan Wood, children's coordinator for the library.

Wood can see all of the new library from the circulation counter at the front of the 15,000-square-foot building.

"I think it's amazing," she said. "We have more room and more shelves."

Boxes of books in storage will now be available in the new space, Wood said.

"This is such a great opportunity for us and for Prairie Grove," said Wood, who grew up in the community. "For a town the size of Prairie Grove to have a library like this and have enough items to fill this building, that's amazing."

The children's area has tables and chairs, a computer section, and an open space and stage for programs, Wood said. She said she likes that all pertinent material, except movies, are in the children's section.

Shelves on the outside of the children's section have books for youth, and then the displays progress to young adults and adults.

The library has two study rooms and two study cubicles. It has a conference room, an adult computer section and several seating areas for people to relax and read a book or magazine.

"We put a lot of thought into this and wanted to have a good flow throughout the building," Wood said.

Although the library isn't downtown anymore, Wood said the city is trying to bring a "little bit of downtown" to the library. Decorative items will include old photos of the historic downtown printed on canvases to hang from the ceiling.

Laura Hicky Kraus of Prairie Grove is painting a mural in the children's area showing many parts making up the community of Prairie Grove: the historic telephone booth, the battle of Prairie Grove, downtown and the Prairie Grove Tigers.

All three staff members will be in the new library.

"With all of us under one roof, that makes it easier to add to our programs. Not just children's programs, but adult programs," Wood said.

Larry Oelrich, director of administrative services and public works, said the city will meet its $200,000 budget for renovating the building. Costs included carpet, a circulation counter, a stage, some walls, paint, entry floor, doors and work on the outside. Landscaping has to be completed.

"A lot of demolition had to be done. There were pipes and wires everywhere, and then it all had to be fixed afterward," Oelrich said.

The library is using shelving, tables and chairs from its old place, and it ordered some new equipment.

The new library is a good investment for the city, Oelrich said, noting records show Walmart bought the land for $200,000 and spent $1.4 million on construction. In contrast, if the city built a new library, costs could have been as much as $200-$250 per square feet.

"We got it for $650,000. I think we did well," he said.

The building still has the gasoline pumps, and the city plans to sell those pumps and turn the area into a pavilion when money is available.

NW News on 03/18/2019

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