Short Ceremony Marks New Library Beginning

Thu., May 15, 1997

By Kathy Mulady kathymu@spokesman.com

Groundbreaking for the Indian Trail Library - the last branch to be built with money from a 1990 city bond issue - was held Tuesday.

Dignitaries, library officials and neighbors mingled during the brief ceremony in the dusty field near Farmdale and Barnes Road.

“New libraries in Spokane are no longer overdue,” said Mayor Jack Geraghty, referring to the bond campaign’s description of the library system.

“We are proud to be able to extend library services to the outlying areas of the city,” he said. “This branch will be a great resource for children and for all ages in Indian Trail.”

Councilwoman Cherie Rodgers, who lives in the neighborhood, noted that the library seems well-located.

Someday, she said, Barnes Road will continue to the top of Five Mile Prairie and stretch out the other direction to Nine Mile. The library will be easily accessible to even more families.

Michael Page, a teacher and Indian Trail resident, told about taking a student who had never been to a library to the main branch downtown. Page watched the young man as he discovered shelves filled with books about his favorite topics.

“We will soon have a library we can walk to - what a great thing,” he said. “It’s a tremendous resource for our students.”

The 10,600-square-foot branch will be built on 1.5 acres. There will be a meeting room, Internet access and a children’s reading area.

It’s expected to open next February.

Many residents seemed thrilled to have a library within walking or biking distance of home. There are three elementary schools in the area, and Salk Middle School.

, DataTimes

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