Huntley Area Public Library celebrates successful renovation and expansion efforts at its ribbon-cutting ceremony
HUNTLEY —
Community members waited for ribbon-cutting of the new Huntley Area Public Library.
Rainfall wasn’t enough to deter a large crowd of community members from gathering outside of the Huntley Area Public Library’s (HAPL) main entrance for its official ribbon-cutting ceremony that took place on June 8.
Nancy Binger, executive director for the Huntley Area Chamber of Commerce, took center stage at the podium, describing the meaningful impact the HAPL has made on the community over the last 30 years.
“There has been a constant desire to improve and serve our multi-generation population and we are witnessing and celebrating that today (June 8). What started as a vote in April of 2019 and continued with various phases of construction, we now have landed to a beautiful, renovated, and expanded library with new features and services for Huntley and beyond,” said Binger. “Our library has something for everybody. We are blessed that we have a library that is engaged and connected with our community.”
Chris Budzynski, president of the HAPL’s Board of Trustees, was the next speaker at the podium, expressing his gratitude to all that have participated in the HAPL’s expansion and renovation efforts, including past board members.
Mayor Tim Hoeft was the last speaker before the ribbon-cutting, giving a short speech on his appreciation for how far the library has come since it first opened its doors in the community.
“It’s amazing and awesome to see where the library has come from where we started,” Hoeft told attendees. “It was an awesome addition to the village with the amazing addition that has been put on here just makes everything that much better, and as we continue to grow as a community, each of our partners has done the same. It’s part of what makes Huntley, Huntley. So, I truly appreciate that.”
Hoeft then presented the library with a certificate of recognition on behalf of the Village Board of Trustees.
“The Village of Huntley recognizes your efforts and commends you on the successful renovation and expansion of the Huntley Area Public Library. The Board of Trustees applauds your desire to provide Huntley residents with a full-service library offering numerous amenities that celebrate reading, learning, creativity, and community in the newly updated facility. We look forward to celebrating many years of your continued success here in Huntley,” said Hoeft, reading off what was written on the certificate.
Library staff couldn’t be happier at the support they have received from residents and their business partners throughout the whole process.
“There’s nothing like having the support of the community and getting this done in the first place. To be able to celebrate a lot of the people that were instrumental in helping us get there, that’s huge. We love it. It’s exciting. We’re excited for the community,” said Doug Cataldo, head of marketing for the HAPL. “We love the fact that so many people are excited about the new addition of parts of the building, but all of the new services that we have to offer businesses and students and senior citizens. It fulfills our mission statement in exploring endless opportunities.”
Cataldo explained that while most of the amenities at the library are now fully opened to the public, the HAPL is still in the process of finalizing some things in its gaming room and recording studio.
“At this point, the creative studio is open so people can make appointments and come in and utilize a lot of that equipment and we’re hoping by the end of the year that all of that gets sorted out in our gaming room and our recording studio,” explained Cataldo.
June 8 also kicked off the HAPL’s summer reading program, with this year’s theme being “Read Beyond the Beaten Path.”
Residents can visit HAPL’s website to learn more about its summer reading program.
