Jones County Library creating park
A Jones County librarian is finding a way to make the library a place where you can get information anytime with the addition of a new park.
GRAY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — People who visit Jones County Library will soon have a new park to enjoy.
Seeing people sitting outside the library in their cars to use the internet is an experience branch manager Julie King has gotten used to. She decided that needs to change, so she’s creating a park right outside the library doors.
“We see them sitting in their cars, especially when we’re not here on the weekends, or before we open, or after we close, so we saw the need for an area for them to be able to hang out,” King said.
The park will be behind the library in Gray, to the left of the entrance that people use to go inside. According to King, the plans include raised garden beds, a play wall for kids, shade sails and more.
“We’re going to have like three tables that will have electricity so you can plug your computers into those tables,” she said. “We’ll have benches. We’re going to have some sculptures. They’re big welding sculptures,” she said.
The welding instructor at Jones County High School, Mark Smith, created the sculptures. Some of his work includes sunflowers, a hummingbird and a dragonfly. Smith says doing the work is his way of giving back to the community.
“Miss King says she’s going to put a plaque up with all my information on it and it will be good advertisement for me,” Smith said. “Also everybody in the community, they look at me, they judge a book by the cover. Most of them would never know I would have created something like this.”
King says they started working on the project in January. She hopes customers will enjoy it once they get it up and running.
“You can use it anytime,” she said. “Anybody can use it. You can come do picnics or hang out. It’s really going to be great for our patrons to be able to have a place to come plug in outside.”
It could be a few more months before the library park is built. They are waiting on approval for bids through the county.
The park is included in the updates that Jones County is doing for all of its playgrounds.
