Check out the new Saline library

Leslee Niethammer's face was beaming this morning when a crowd of more than 100 local residents gathered in front of the renovated facility on Maple Road for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. She was joined by members of the library board, staff and the contractors hired to expand the facility. It was exciting to be there and then walk into the facility, which is absolutely gorgeous. You can view video of the ceremony and the interior of the library on our Web site at www.salinereporter.com.

The expansion is the result of Saline voters passing a 0.55-mill levy in 2006 to fund a $5.8 million expansion. The facility grew from 16,450 square feet to 33,000. It has many nice features, including new computers, a children's area, puppet theater, Saline history room featuring the Bixby Marionette Exhibit that was previously housed at the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce and, my favorite, the magazine and newspaper room.

Among the highlights today were ice cream given out by the Saline Lions Club, a bouncy slide and Moonwalk for children outside and dedication of a peace pole by the Saline Girl Scouts.

If you were unable to make it to the ceremony and events today, please take the time to visit soon, even if you're not a library regular. The amenities the library offers are plentiful, from books, DVDs and CDs to Internet access and local history. It really is a community gem and should be utilized to its full potential.