Copperas Cove Public Library receives $14,000 donation

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

The renovation project at the Copperas Cove Public Library received a huge boost on Monday evening when the Friends of the Library presented a check for $14,000 to Library Director Kevin Marsh. 
With that donation, the Friends of the Library have secured the naming rights for the library’s new reading room, which will soon be under construction. 
According to the terms of the agreement, naming rights will persist “until the room is redesignated for some other purpose, or undergoes a major renovation. In any case, the use of the name will persist for no less than 10 years.” 
The funds come from a combination of the Friends’ used book sale that is ongoing in the library lobby, which does a brisk business, and a major portion of the Friends’ fundraising account. 
The name of the library’s new reading room will be named after the late Joe Palumbo and his wife, Marion, both of whom have had major roles in the development of the Copperas Cove Public Library to what it is today. 
The name of the room was kept under wraps, even from Marion Palumbo, who moved away from the area in the spring but recently paid a visit to Copperas Cove and bring a donation of books. 
The designated room names will be used in all signage, maps, announcements, and correspondence from the city about the library. Names may include personal or corporate names. 
Funds from the naming rights will be used toward the purchase of new furniture for the 20-year-old facility. 
Over the past two years, Marsh has been trying to raise funds for the furniture, with the renovation cost being more than originally anticipated, and he is counting on the donations coming in to help with those furniture purchases. 
Naming rights for other rooms and areas at the library are still up for grabs. For a $16,000 donation, an individual, business, or club can name the library’s lobby for $16,000, or a donation of $10,000 can earn someone the right to name the Teen Zone, a 27-by-32-foot area with space for the teens and their books. The public computer area and the meeting room can each be named for donations of $8,000. 
“We’d really like to see a couple of corporate sponsors,” said Marsh during the Friends of the Library’s special meeting on Monday evening.  
John Gallen, member of the Friends of the Library, announced that Little Mister Five Hills Matthew Grooms donated $104 from the proceeds of his lemonade stand. Gallen said that his donation was included in the fundraising, and it was decided to chip in the remainder to turn Grooms’ donation into $150, to purchase a chair. 
“Those kids do a lot for the community,” Gallen said.
The library is also planning to purchase 24 reading seats at an estimated cost of $300 each, upholstered lounge seats to go along with six new end tables at $200 apiece. The end tables are “wired” with standard plus and USB ports to provide connections for laptops, phones, and other electronic devices. 
Instead of attaching an individual’s or group’s name to a piece of furniture, which could wear off or need replacing, Marsh said the names will be etched on a glass panel that will be located in the new entryway. 
Also on the furniture shopping list are round tables, three at $725 each, and four rectangular tables at $650 each, all of which come with standard and USB plugs.
The restroom renovation is nearly completed, and the meeting room has had a fresh coat of paint. Soon, the library’s existing entryway will be closed in to create the new reading room. A major problem has been roosting pigeons that perch inside the partially enclosed entryway and the project will eliminate that. 
The current walkway outside will be changed to direct patrons to a new front door to the left, with a new sidewalk leading in that direction. 
The bricks and tiles currently installed at the library will be removed, with the bricks to be used in the new walkway and the names on the tiles to be engraved on a glass panel in the library’s new entryway, along with the names of other donors to the project. 
Those interested in making donations can reach Kevin Marsh at (254) 547-3826.
The target for having renovations completed is the end of August.