Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Support topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Friends of the Crestview Library outline volunteer work, ask city for storage help
Summary
Paul Farnsworth, president of the Friends of the Crestview Library, told council the volunteer group (58 members) spent about $13,000 in fiscal 2026 on programs, equipment and scholarships and said the group needs permanent, climate‑controlled storage (estimated $3,000/year).
Paul Farnsworth, president of the Friends of the Crestview Library, told the Crestview City Council on Feb. 23 that the all‑volunteer nonprofit has 58 members and spent approximately $13,000 in fiscal year 2026 supporting library programs and facilities. "All in all, the friends of the Crestview Library expended approximately $13,000 in fiscal year 2026," Farnsworth said, listing purchases from popcorn and snow‑cone machines to picnic tables, a display case and sensory boards for the children's area.
Farnsworth described the group's fundraising model (biannual book sales), recent successes including the group's most successful sale to date and two vanloads of donated books provided to Santa Rosa County Little Libraries and the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution. He said the Friends funded a high‑school diploma scholarship through the Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative and highlighted the heavy volunteer effort involved in sorting, boxing and transporting hundreds of books for sales. "We sort those by genre... and the entire community Center Auditorium is then converted into a huge sales floor," he said.
The group asked for help with storage and transportation logistics, estimating climate‑controlled storage would cost "up to $3,000 a year," roughly the proceeds of a single book sale. Farnsworth said many volunteers are senior citizens and the physical work of transporting 150–200 boxes after a sale is a growing burden. The city manager thanked Farnsworth and clarified the city did not intend to force the Friends to vacate quickly, saying the city wants to work jointly to find a permanent solution for storage and operations. The manager also noted Friends raised $5,700 over the weekend in donations and sales.
The presentation was delivered during the council's public‑comment/presentation period; council members thanked the Friends and expressed willingness to meet with the group to discuss long‑term options. No formal council action was taken specifically to fund storage during the meeting.
