Mona Shield Payne / Special to the Sun
Henderson City Council members, from left, Steve Kirk, Andy Hafen and Gerri Schroder, present Henderson Libraries Executive Director Tom Fay a commendation certificate Saturday during the grand reopening celebration of the Green Valley Library.
Saturday, May 2, 2009 | 2:28 p.m.
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A party complete with food and a live band isn't the normal fare for a library on a Saturday afternoon, but under the circumstances, the staff at the Green Valley Library was cool with it.
The festive atmosphere was part of the grand reopening of the branch, which has been closed since December for renovations by its new management, the Henderson Libraries.
The Henderson library district assumed control of the branch in a deal with the branch's former administrators at the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, which took the materials and staff they had in Green Valley to open a new branch earlier this year in Centennial Hills.
"For us, it just really puts the last piece to the puzzle for our community," Henderson Libraries Executive Director Tom Fay said. "To be able to provide services to all of Henderson -- that is a big deal to the staff."
Before opening the branch, the Henderson Libraries chose to remodel it to create a more open, airy feeling.
Branch Manager Stephen Platt, who has overseen months of construction and the temporary library that operated onsite during the remodel, said things turned out exactly as envisioned.
"It's amazing," Platt said. "There's no other word to describe it. It looks so much better. Everything is open, and it doesn't feel like an institution now."
More than 100 residents flocked into the branch after Fay and Henderson city officials cut the ribbon. Some commented on the building's new look, but most were happy just to have their branch back.
Shawn Peralta, who was browsing movies with her 3-year-old son, Ryan, while 14-year-old daughter Amanda looked at the teen section, said going to other branches while Green Valley was closed just wasn't the same.
"It's nice," Peralta said. "They redesigned it nicely. It looks fresh, but we're just happy to have a library back in the area again."
Jason Laporte, an employee of the Library District's Paseo Verde Branch, brought his children to see the new branch and came away impressed.
"It looks great," he said. "A lot of hard work went into it by everybody involved and it really paid off. There's a little bit to offer everybody, especially the kids. The youth area is very large and the staff working it is very knowledgeable."
The branch features a children's library, story room, naturally lit reading lounge, private study rooms and a 30-station computer lab.
Henderson City Councilwoman Gerri Schroder said the branch will provide free entertainment and educational opportunities for a community in need of them.
"Especially in a time when people don't have a lot of money, it's a great place to spend an afternoon," she said.
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