In January 2005 the Alexandria Town Talk carried a story about plans to close down the Fair Oaks Nursing Home in Hineston. Owner Teddy Price was approached about donating the facility to the Rapides Parish Library, and generously agreed to do so.
The acquisition of this property was a significant step in the Library’s long quest to develop a better home for the Hineston Branch Library. The current branch was a double-wide mobile home that had previously been a headquarters facility for the State Police. It was donated to the Library, remodeled, and opened as a library in 1984. It has served the Hineston community well for over twenty years, but has gradually begun to show its age.
The faithful branch staff, currently Branch Manager Donna Crawford and her assistant Betty Bass, and going back to Branch Manager Judy Brown, have performed miracles of service in the crowded space. It is a mainstay of the Hineston community for students, senior citizens, and many in between.
The Library accepted the gift of the nursing home property in the faith that somehow it could be used to improve Hineston Branch’s size and features. As the 1836 square foot branch was compared to the 11,000 square foot nursing home, it was clear that that much space wouldn’t be needed. For several months an effort was made to find another governmental agency or non-profit that would want to share space. That effort failed. It took about a year for the all the paperwork to be completed so that the property was officially transferred to the Parish. By then the Library realized that no improvements could be made without a better tax base. After the successful tax campaign to prevent deficits and improve facilities, more serious planning could at last begin. The decision was made to build a new building rather than renovate the nursing home. The cost for an all new building wasn’t a lot more than the cost of renovations, and will give a more functional floor plan and greater energy efficiency.
The new Hineston Branch will be built on the higher ground on the southern end of the nursing home property, the former staff parking area. In August, the Library auctioned off the nursing home building and approximately 2/3 of the land to Mr. Huey Bonnette. The Library retained enough land for current and possible future needs.
The acquisition of this property was a significant step in the Library’s long quest to develop a better home for the Hineston Branch Library. The current branch was a double-wide mobile home that had previously been a headquarters facility for the State Police. It was donated to the Library, remodeled, and opened as a library in 1984. It has served the Hineston community well for over twenty years, but has gradually begun to show its age.
The faithful branch staff, currently Branch Manager Donna Crawford and her assistant Betty Bass, and going back to Branch Manager Judy Brown, have performed miracles of service in the crowded space. It is a mainstay of the Hineston community for students, senior citizens, and many in between.
The Library accepted the gift of the nursing home property in the faith that somehow it could be used to improve Hineston Branch’s size and features. As the 1836 square foot branch was compared to the 11,000 square foot nursing home, it was clear that that much space wouldn’t be needed. For several months an effort was made to find another governmental agency or non-profit that would want to share space. That effort failed. It took about a year for the all the paperwork to be completed so that the property was officially transferred to the Parish. By then the Library realized that no improvements could be made without a better tax base. After the successful tax campaign to prevent deficits and improve facilities, more serious planning could at last begin. The decision was made to build a new building rather than renovate the nursing home. The cost for an all new building wasn’t a lot more than the cost of renovations, and will give a more functional floor plan and greater energy efficiency.
The new Hineston Branch will be built on the higher ground on the southern end of the nursing home property, the former staff parking area. In August, the Library auctioned off the nursing home building and approximately 2/3 of the land to Mr. Huey Bonnette. The Library retained enough land for current and possible future needs.
On February 21st the Library Board of Control approved preliminary drawings from architect Bill Tudor for the two new branches. These 4000 square foot facilities feature community rooms for both general public meetings and for library programming, and room to grow for collections and services.
Front view of the site for the Hineston Branch Library
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Floor Plans
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