City receives grant check for library

Governor Mike Beebe presented Decatur officials with a check for $3,369.42 on Oct. 5. Pictured, from the left, are Library Board President Dr. Lynval Abercrombie, City Clerk Jeanelle Cox, Mayor Charles Linam, Librarian Karen Jones, ARDC Chair Dennis Donahou, Governor Mike Beebe, DRS Director Butch Calhoun and State Representative Jonathan Barnett. Not pictured are Senator Kim Hendren and Representative Mary Lou Slinkard.
Governor Mike Beebe presented Decatur officials with a check for $3,369.42 on Oct. 5. Pictured, from the left, are Library Board President Dr. Lynval Abercrombie, City Clerk Jeanelle Cox, Mayor Charles Linam, Librarian Karen Jones, ARDC Chair Dennis Donahou, Governor Mike Beebe, DRS Director Butch Calhoun and State Representative Jonathan Barnett. Not pictured are Senator Kim Hendren and Representative Mary Lou Slinkard.

— Governor Mike Beebe and Department of Rural Services director Butch Calhoun presented Decatur officials with a $3,369.42 check for the Iva Jane Peek Library on Oct. 5.

The grant money Decatur received was a portion of $165,502.85 presented to 16 rural communities during an Arkansas Rural Community Grant Program awards ceremony held at the State Capitol in the Governor’s Conference Room, according to a press release. It is a 50 percent matching grant, so the city will be contributing an equal amount towards the purchases.

“This grant will enable the library to acquire more book shelves, which will help alleviate the overcrowding of books and permit us to remove books from the tops of the current shelves,” said library board president Lynval Abercrombie. “The addition of two new computers will assist our patrons in their computer needs and somewhat help alleviate the waitingtime some patrons have on our current six computers. The wireless book scanner will assist our librarian to maintain better records by not having to return to her desk to bring the book inventory up to date.”

Abercrombie, Decatur Mayor Charles Linam, city clerk Jeanelle Cox and librarian Karen Jones traveled to Little Rock to receive the grant.

Cox and councilwoman Nan McLain did a lot of work to get the grant application prepared and submitted, according to Linam.

“It was badly needed and much appreciated,” he said of the grant money.

The Department of Rural Services works in partnership with the Arkansas Rural Development Commission to administer theArkansas Rural Community Grant Programs in threeyear cycles. Incorporated cities and towns and unincorporated communities in rural areas of less than 3,000 in population are eligible to apply for assistance through the mayor or county judge’s office, the release states.

News, Pages 11 on 10/12/2011