The Columbia-Marion County Library may still be closed, but progress is being made toward finding it a temporary home while repairs from tornado damage are completed.
Ryda Worthy, director of the South Mississippi Regional Library System, said on Tuesday that she and Mona Swayze, branch manager of the Columbia-Marion County Library, are looking at temporary locations but nothing has been determined as of yet.
State Sen. Angela Hill, R-Picayune, said she is willing to help as well in finding a temporary location.
While that decision is pending, the library will hold “Storytime on the Road” starting Feb. 4. At least through February and maybe longer, it will be every Tuesday morning at 9:30 at Second Street Bean.
The library received extensive damage from the EF-2 tornado on Dec. 16 and subsequent rainfall that night. The library has been closed to the public since then, and the only service it has been able to provide is Wi-Fi to private devices in the parking lot.
Worthy and Swayze appeared before the Marion County Board of Supervisors Jan. 21 to request the status of the repairs and also to make a plea for an alternative location while the Broad Street building is repaired. They also met with city officials this week. Both the city and county provide funding for the library.
In another county building, the Columbia Animal Control and Rescue Center was blessed with the donation of two attic fans. One of the fans were installed last week free of charge including the fan, wiring and labor, and the second one should be installed this week, according to Animal Control Officer Mallory Belk.
The fans have been broken for several months. In September Stacy Bass and April Bonilla both appeared to the Board of Supervisors at separate meetings requesting repairs and/or replacement of the fans. The attic fans draws the strong smell from the animals and cleaners out of the building, providing a better quality air to breathe.
Since the September meetings the shelter was damaged from straight line winds resulting from Tropical Storm Olga Oct. 26. The roof and ceiling received damage. The ceiling tiles fell and installation was torn in the main office area of the facility.
Work has begun this week on replacing some of the beams on the front and back porch to strengthen the roof so the repairs on the roof can begin.
The county owns that building, while the city runs the shelter.
