Generous gesture resonates with library board

A fledgling West Chester entrepreneur snagged an impressive bounty recently as the winner of a raffle from the Kennett Library’s Adult Literacy Program.

The Kennett Library Board of Trustees says it is making progress on relocating the library from its outgrown facility in the 200 block of East State Street in Kennett Square.
The Kennett Library Board of Trustees says it is making progress on relocating the library from its outgrown building in the 200 block of East State Street in Kennett Square.

But in rejecting the prize of $350 in donated gift cards, Cornelio Guillen Nuñez was not being ungrateful. Instead, he simply wanted to give back, said Adult Literacy Program Director Filomena Elliott.

Addressing the Kennett Library board at its meeting on Tuesday, July 19, Elliott explained that Nuñez, an English as a Second Language student, had just opened the Original Snack Factory in West Chester. “I’m sure he could have used the prize since he just started a new business,” she said, “but he said this program helped him get where he is. He wanted to donate it back so we could use it again and help someone else.”

The board expressed gratitude for Nuñez’s generosity and said they hoped any publicity he received would give his new venture a boost. Elliott’s report represented one of several topics that not only generated excitement but also applause at the hourlong board meeting.

After a presentation by board member Brad Piper, the board voted unanimously to approve a new logo for the library, part of a branding plan that will be launched around Labor Day.

Board Vice-President Jeff Yetter explained that the logo, a brightly colored graphic that references Bayard Taylor, the library’s previous namesake, would need to be vetted, registered, and possibly trademarked. He said it would eventually make a splashy debut in conjunction with a redesigned website, banners, door panels, and newsletter.

Library Director Donna Murray said the staff took a break from a multitude of exciting activities – from creating night-vision goggles in a spy-themed Maker Camp to turning elementary students into aspiring scientists – to review the new logo.

“They liked it a lot,” Murray said, adding that it sparks a variety of associations. “They read a lot of different things into it.”

Board President Tom Swett said the logo decision marked another example of the board’s cohesiveness and dedication in working toward the goal of relocating the library, which has outgrown its space in the 200 block of East State Street. “We’re able to work through these issues with unanimity and in a collegial manner,” he noted.

Another step in that direction involved the acquisition of a Vision Partnership Program grant from Chester County. Yetter said the grant, which was submitted by the eight municipalities the library serves – the Borough of Kennett Square and East Marlborough, Kennett, Newlin, New Garden, Pennsbury, Pocopson, and West Marlborough townships – would enable the library to explore a collaborative venture that could include building a library, community center and borough offices.

Carolyn Nicander-Mohr, who heads the library’s New Building Committee, reported that the board agreed that Lukmire Partnership, Inc., an architecture firm that has worked previously with the library, had submitted the best proposal for the grant. She said Lukmire would work to answer a host of questions, including how big a library is needed, where it could be located, and what else should be included in the project.

Swett said that he had an opportunity recently to visit a library in Silver Spring, Md., that Lukmire designed. Swett said he was impressed with the laudatory comments the librarian made about the facility’s working relationship with Lukmire.

More positive news came from Bill McLachlan, the board’s treasurer. He said that both belt-tightening and donations were enabling the library to make progress in reducing the $75,000 deficit projected for 2016.

The Kennett Library Board of Trustees convenes monthly at 5 p.m. in the downstairs meeting room at the Market at Liberty Place. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 16, and the public is invited to attend.

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