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Library Board proposes story walk funded from Carnegie donation; asks City for in‑kind installation help
Summary
The Sterling Free Public Library’s board proposed installing a funded story walk—ideally at Library Park—using part of a $10,000 Carnegie Corporation donation; the board will return with final plans and may request limited in‑kind labor from the City.
Representatives of the Sterling Free Public Library presented a plan to install a story walk at a City park and said they would fund the project largely from a $10,000 donation the library received from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Stephanie Burford, president of the Library Board, and Debbie Gibson, director of the Sterling Free Public Library, described a story walk as a sequence of outdoor displays placed along a path that allows children and families to read a narrative by walking from station to station. They said the library will pay for installation and ongoing maintenance but may ask the City to supply some of the initial labor as an in‑kind contribution; City Manager Ian Hutcheson indicated that in‑kind support would likely be possible.
Board members discussed ideal locations and recommended that Library Park—because of its proximity to the library building—may be more suitable than Sterling Lake Park. Gibson said that other planned accessibility improvements at the library could take priority when allocating the remaining Carnegie funds, which could limit additional amenities such as public restrooms. Chairman Dwight Nichols asked the Library Board to return to the next Park Advisory Board meeting with final plans so the board can consider recommending the project to the City Commission.
No formal vote was taken on the story walk at this meeting.
