LCRA PROVIDES $20,000 GRANT FOR LIBRARY OUTDOOR READING ROOM
The City of Brenham will be able to build an outdoor library reading room thanks to a $20,000 community development grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority.
The Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library was an important part of the Brenham community for 41 years, serving generations of Washington County residents at its location on Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. Facility conditions and overcrowding forced officials to temporarily relocate the library to City Hall in 2014. The outdoor reading room will be part of a project to renovate the old library.
“Twenty-first century libraries are so much more than books,” said librarian Andria Heiges. “We’re thrilled about the grant because an outdoor reading room is a unique way to connect literacy with learning.”
The reading room will offer visitors a space to read or hold gatherings outdoors. It will feature an 800-square-foot patio accessible from the library. The space will have built-in seating, Wi-Fi and lighting for evening hours. The outdoor reading room will be located next to Fireman’s Park, providing patrons a community space in a natural environment.
“The programs we will be able to offer in the outdoor reading room will encourage and promote a safe place for children and families to connect with nature,” Heiges said.
The library plans to offer programs on topics ranging from gardening and solar energy to soil and water conservation.
The outdoor reading room is part of a large-scale library renovation expected to be complete in the summer 2016. The interior renovation will be built with environmentally sustainable materials and include upgraded technology and new reading spaces for visitors.
The community grant is one of a number of grants recently awarded through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. The program provides economic development and community assistance grants to cities, counties, volunteer fire departments, regional development councils and other nonprofit organizations in LCRA’s electric and water service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. The City of Brenham is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and a partner in the grant program.
Applications for the next round of grants are due Jan. 31. More information is available at www.lcra.org/cdpp.
