A new chapter for GH's library begins today
Wed, Jul 1, 2009 
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BY PETER DAINING
pdaining@grandhaventribune.com
Katie Parks, Brooke Young and Rachel Smit counted down the seconds before the Loutit District Library officially reopened at 9 a.m. today.
Soon after the countdown, Library Director Sandie Knes opened the door and said: "Here we come, ready or not, we're open to the public."
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Parks, Young and Smit, 11- and 12-year-old Grand Haven girls, were at the library 45 minutes before it opened and were some of the first to hurry up the stairs and wind through the stacks.
"It's amazing," Young said. "It's going to be like my second home."
As patrons streamed by the door this morning, Knes said it's great to see people enjoying the expanded and renovated library at 407 Columbus Ave.
"This is what we've been working for all these years," she said, "and people are so excited to see it."
Construction on the $10 million project began in March 2008. Since then, Loutit District Library has been housed at a temporary location at 1051 S. Beacon Blvd.
Crews have been busy putting the finishing touches on the new library and moving the collection from the temporary location for the last week and a half.
Mark Donselar came to see the new library with his daughter, Kelley, who was glad to see the library back in its regular location.
"For days she's been jumping up and down," he said.
Kody Schulte, 12, waited patiently outside the library as people started to line up this morning. He said he didn't come to the library for a specific book, but his main objective was to take a self-guided tour.
"I'm probably just going to go and look at everything first," Schulte said.
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Burton Brooks and Dennis Craun have been Loutit District Library trustees since 1999, when the city-run library was transformed into a district library. They said one of the main reasons the district was formed was to expand the facility.
"It seems that a great deal of our time on the board has been talking about how to get more room for the library," Craun said, "and now here we are."
Today's opening was considered a "soft" opening. Knes said a grand opening celebration is planned for July 15.
