William Blackstock Architects of Birmingham donated this and other renderings of the future Regional Library at Warrior.

By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



After taking a break for the holidays, a small band of library enthusiasts is hard at it again.

Quietly working behind the scenes, the nine-member North Jefferson-Blount Library Foundation is busy trying to raise money to renovate the former National Guard armory in Warrior into a regional library.

Specifically, the foundation is applying for grants and seeking donations from the public.

The group has applied for one of President-elect Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package grants to help fund the renovation, according to Anne Jolly, the foundation’s executive director.

She said there are plenty of grants out there to provide for various programs, but added that it is difficult to find funding for “bricks and mortar.”

William Blackstock Architects of Birmingham has donated renderings and feasibility studies for the library project, according to Jolly, but no physical work been made for the renovation.

Jolly said the Warrior City Council has not yet approved the architects for the project.

A church congregation, The Beacon, has received permission from the Warrior City Council to occupy the armory building until July.

No work will be done until after the congregation moves, Jolly said.

The library project is well-described by the name of the Web site dedicated to the project: www.extremelibrarymakeover.com, created and maintained by Amy Johnson of Warrior.

Although still under construction, the Web site details some of the amenities to be found at the new library: Wireless Internet; more spacious work areas; children’s, teen and young adult areas; a computer lab; a kitchen and even a coffee shop.

The existing Warrior Public Library, headed up by Faye Pugh, has been deemed way too small by Pugh and other Warrior residents.

The current facility is only 1,800 square feet and would not hold all of the library’s books if they were all checked in, according to Pugh.

The library will be called the Regional Library at Warrior and will serve patrons in north Jefferson and west Blount counties.

Jolly said the foundation hopes to see a groundbreaking at the facility before the end of the year.

Foundation members will be placing collection boxes at various stores in the area to raise funds for the library.

“We hope people will contribute,” said Jolly.

The foundation is a 501c3 organization, so donations to the library fund are tax-deductible.

To contribute, mail checks to the North Jefferson-Blount Library Foundation, P.O. Box 669, Warrior AL, 35180.