Thanks to Mike’s Butcher Shop for their support. Hosting a dinner party? Simply looking for something quick and easy? From fresh cuts to grill-ready kabobs, you’ll find everything you need at Mike’s.
Hundreds of people jammed Wentworth Library Wednesday evening for a reopening celebration event after a 13-month closure for renovations.
“This renewed place represents possibility,” said ISD 197 Superintendent Peter Olson-Skog. “It reflects a shared commitment from our county, from our community, from our city, from our schools, to invest in our young people.”
The day began with people waiting for the doors to open at 9 a.m., but the celebration event brought the community out in droves. Parking overflowed to blocks away and across the street at Walmart. People explored the new space, including rearranged study rooms, more quiet spaces, a refreshed children’s area, and more. The remodel also updated the mechanicals, including plumbing that was backing up and an outdated HVAC system. (See more photos of the new space and reaction from residents).
The event included snacks, free Wentworth Library pins, and a performance from Two Rivers High School Vocal Jazz. South Robert Street Business Association donated 550 books so every child attending the event could take a book home.
The event included a ribbon-cutting celebration with a number of officials speaking:
- Fourth grader Jefferson from Moreland Arts & Sciences Magnet School: “The thing I like about this library is that kids can read in this library so they can get smarter. … We have this library so we should have everyone read good books.”
- Dakota County Library Director Jennifer Reichert Simpson: “While the core of who we are as a library remains the same what you’re really going to find, and some of you have already found, it’s really a transformed space, and those transformations were really based on what you as a community told us as the library you wanted from your library today.”
- West St. Paul Mayor Dave Napier: “This means the world to our community. … I just want to say on behalf of our Council what this means for the City of West St Paul, and you can see what it means when you see the outpouring of our community.”
- ISD 197 Superintendent Peter Olson-Skog: “What this library does day in and day out is help level that playing field. It opens doors and it creates opportunities for every young person to walk through them. And one of the most powerful things that the library does is also one of the most simplest. It helps create readers. … I’ve seen the moment a student who didn’t think of themselves as a reader finds the right book, their book, and something clicks, that spark can turn into a habit, and that habit can shape a lifetime.”
After the speeches, Dakota County Commissioner Joe Atkins hosted several ribbon cuttings with community children, then elected officials, and then library and county staff.
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