STEELE CREEK NEWS
Library Garden
Gets New Gazebo, Brick Pathways
(February 9, 2009)
Work is nearing completion on a new gazebo and picnic table in the
Steele Creek Library garden, and brick pathways have been installed
to replace the original cypress mulch pathways.
Susan McDonald,
Manager of the Steele Creek Library, originally asked the Steele
Creek Library Association for a picnic table to reward library staff
for high achievement in the library's Customer Service Program last
summer. The Library Association decided to expand the project to
provide permanent, stable pathways and a sturdy gazebo to cover the
table.
Susan says that
library staff plan to use the gazebo for children's programs in the
spring and summer. She expects to have a concert or other community
event to commemorate the library's 5th anniversary this August. Once
the gazebo is complete, the final bricks have been placed around the
gazebo supports, and construction materials are removed, the garden
will be open for patrons to visit. In addition to the gazebo table,
the garden has several benches that are ideal places for quietly
sitting and reading a favorite book. Spring flowers should arrive
soon to further enhance the experience.
She said staff and
patrons are looking forward to using the new garden features. She
said the improvements have made a beautiful garden even more
beautiful. It will become a more inviting destination for patrons
and staff.
The gazebo is made of
treated, stained wood, and the table top is made from a composite
material made from recycled wood and plastic called Trex. The roof
will be made of tin and should be complete within a week or so. The
gazebo was designed to match and complement the gazebo in the
children's section of the library adjacent to the garden. It is made
of sturdy, durable materials and should last a long time.
Garden pathways have
been paved with brick. The pathways now connect the library building
to the center of the garden, with branches to the garden corners and
to a large area at the compost piles where Mecklenburg County Solid
Waste and Recycling staff conduct composting classes. These pathways
replace the original pathways made from cypress mulch, which washed
away during major rain storms. The garden now has permanent, level
pathways that can withstand stormy weather.
The contractor for
the gazebo is Accent Fencing of the Carolinas (contact Mitch Lane at
704-239-5708), and the contractor for the pathways is
Tarheel Masonry and Concrete Company.
The Steele Creek
Library Association and community supporters of the association's
fund drive conducted in 2004 have paid for the garden improvements,
which cost approximately $18,000.
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