Chapeaux & Champagne; a fun fundraiser

A fun time was had by all that attended the March 30th champagne social / luncheon / art sale, and the proceeds went towards building the new library in Eastpoint.

We're Building a Library!

The slab has been poured and the frame is going up ... but help is still needed.



Are libraries dead in the Digital Age?

Don’t you believe it. They’re more important, and far-reaching, than ever. Whether through printed pages, CDs, audiotapes, or computer portals to the Internet, libraries open minds to our past, present, and future.

They also provide really good beach reads.

No More Cramped Quarters

The Eastpoint Library has fulfilled all of this--and more--in cramped quarters in the Point Mall on Island Drive. Now the dream of a new 5,000-square-foot library and administrative offices is becoming real. Concrete slab real. Walls going up real. Entry road and drainage real.

It's been a long time coming. It's exciting. But much remains to be done--and funded.

A Community Labor of Love

The ambitious project has been spearheaded by Friends of the Franklin County Public Library (FFCPL), a nonprofit patrons' group, and made possible primarily by donations from individuals and businesses. An initial grant from the Northwest Florida Water Management District secured a beautiful 13-acre site on Old Ferrydock Road. When the library is finished, it will offer the community not only an expanded, modern space for collections and programs, but educational nature walks over the protected wetlands.

More than 5,000 of the county's 10,000 residents are registered borrowers of
the Franklin County Public Library. Hundreds of visitors and temporary residents take advantage of the free services. Young people in Eastpoint, Carrabelle,
and Apalachicola gather for special programs and field trips. Intellectually curious adults sign up for workshops on genealogy and computers. The county’s libraries are not only not dead, they’re in demand.

Your Library Needs Your Help

Wiith strong support from the community, more than $200,000 has been raised for the Eastpoint construction, but at current estimates, approximately another $150,000 is needed.

Funds spent or committed so far:
· land purchase
· survey and engineering (meeting all environmental requirements)
· architectural design
· purchase of steel building
· site preparation: drainage, roadwork, in-ground plumbing and electrical
· foundation
· partial erection of the building

Funds still needed:
· completion of building
· finishing and furnishing of the interior
· landscaping

The Friends of the FCPL are continually active in fundraising: membership and donation appeals, booths at local festivals, book sales, and special events. It’s hard work in a county where every dollar counts, but the whole county needs this library.