Lorraine L. Rodriguez
THE ZAPATA Times
Olga V. Figueroa Zapata County Library officials are finally beginning planning a new facility and the newly appointed advisory board will be discussing specifics with a projects coordinator early next week.
“It’s the very first meeting,” library director Aida Garcia said. “It’s a good thing.”
The meeting will be at the library on Tuesday, at 1:30 p.m.
Members of the new library advisory board include Elma Martinez, Patricia Ramirez, Rosie Digler and Anita Medina, Ph.D.
According to Garcia, a library advisory board was needed to represent the library in speaking to the Zapata County project coordinator Mario Gonzalez Davis. They will be discussing grants that may be available and specific building requirements.
“We plan to ask Meadows Foundation for a grant,” Garcia said. “They help us every year.”
She said there are plans to seek help form others, including the Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Foundation.
Davis said funding is available through the USDA Rural Development agency for library improvements such as the ones needed by the Zapata County library.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Davis will ask the library advisory board what the new building needs so he knows ? how much money to seek.
“We need to make sure we’re on the same page,” Davis said.
Once the information has been collected, it will have to be reviewed by the Zapata County Commissioners Courts to continue with a grant application.
“This is not an overnight process,” Davis said. “It will take months to get everything together.”
The library suffers every time there’s bad weather. Strong winds and heavy rains tend to cause the building’s sewer system to overflow, causing severe odor problems and water damage. Flooding is a constant problem. At those times, the library has to close temporarily until the water recedes and the mess is cleaned up. Staff must be sent home and visitors can’t use the library.
(Lorraine L. Rodriguez may be contacted at (956)728-2557.)
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