So did you miss me?: Patrons show enthusiasm as renewed library reopens
Published 6:44 pm Monday, March 25, 2019
A crowd waits to get new library cards during Port Arthur Public Library’s grand reopening Saturday. The library was devastated during Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey in 2017. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Alejandro Cruz, left, holds Alex Cruz and Arthur the Seahawk of Lamar State College Port Arthur holds a book during the grand reopening of Port Arthur Public Library on Saturday. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Ellie Gator, (AKA Darragh Castillo with the Port Arthur Convention and Visitors Bureau), promotes the city during the grand reopening of Port Arthur Public Library on Saturday. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Taylor Alexander, left, Patty Thibedeaux and Portia Lightfoot wait for their new library cards during Port Arthur Public Library’s grand reopening Saturday. The library was devastated during Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey in 2017. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Raigan Johnson, center, and LaTosha Johnson wait for their new library cards during Port Arthur Public Library’s grand reopening Saturday. The library was devastated during Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey in 2017. (Mary Meaux/The News)
The excitement from this weekend’s grand reopening of the Port Arthur Public Library was still obvious Monday when talking to its director, Steven Williams.
The library was closed since Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey dumped record rainfall on the area in 2017, leading to widespread flooding, boat rescues and more. The staff was amazed by Saturday’s turnout.
“It was definitely overwhelming, especially considering there were other events in the city,” Williams said. “There was the Damon West book signing event at the Museum of the Gulf Coast; Damon’s story is great. And there was also the (South Texas) state fair and we had great weather. So just knowing how much the city and community missed their library and how many support (there is), it is amazing.”
About an hour into the opening there were three areas at the front desk where employees were busy renewing library cards and each of those lines included about a dozen people. A feast was laid out in the gallery and people filled the rows of tables and chatted as photos of the progress were shown on a screen.
And patrons made sure they brought back their overdue library books. Mavis Triebel, an instructor at Lamar State College Port Arthur, had held on to her books for more than 18 months and brought them back on Saturday. She wasn’t the only one.
“It’s amazing how the public took such great care of the books through the hurricane and a lot of residents’ homes were devastated,” Williams said. “But even if they aren’t brought back the fines are waived, even for people from before the storm. Everybody has a clean slate.”
He said there was no one area that patrons focused on with the reopening — they were impressed with the new colorful awning outside as well as by the new children’s area inside, with a kiddie entrance as well as adult entrances.
“There are a lot of good things coming up,” he said.
There will be Thursday game nights, resumption of the children’s programs and summer reading program and planned genealogy workshops.
There’s still some work to be done such as signage, benches and even picnic tables with umbrellas for patrons to sit and enjoy the outdoors.
Another addition in the works is the replacement of “The Family,” a statue by artist David Cargill. The statue, with an estimated value of $120,000, stood in front of the library from 1981 to 2014, when it was stolen, cut up and sold for scrap. An arrest was made and the pieces recovered. The artist was able to put the statue back together and it will return to its previous post.
Williams said one of his goals when he became library director was to bring the statue back. The cost was $21,000.
Williams said the library will continue to work on and build on its collection.
Williams said 615 patrons visited the library at its grand reopening, which lasted from 2-5 p.m.
