A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on April 30 to celebrate the official opening of the newly renovated Honey Brook Community Library. Attendees included library representatives, local officials and patrons of all ages.

During the event, held in the library's new community room, library director Jennifer Spade welcomed those in attendance and introduced the guest speakers. She also recognized the library board of trustees, staff members and members of the Friends of the Library.

"They have all been wonderful through this whole process, and I couldn't ask for a better team," Spade stated.

The building project began about one year ago thanks to a $1.14 million grant that the library received through the Department of Community and Economic Development, which was garnered by state Sen. Katie Muth. Muth, who was newly elected in 2018, attended a library fundraiser where she met Spade and agreed to help.

"Everything in this room and in this building and in this community started with Sen. Katie Muth," Spade said. "We were at the BBQ and Brew three years ago sitting next to each other talking, and she (asked), 'What can I do for you?' and I said, 'We need space, and we need money,' and she's like, 'Hey, I have some.' From that conversation, we ended up here, so I'm happy to have her today."

Muth said the new space allows the library to expand its already successful programs. "The library before was wonderful because of the people that worked in it and the people that kept it going. Now, you have so much more space to grow and do new programming," she said, adding, "(The grant) was not (my) money. It's your tax dollars that that funded this, and it's the best use of tax dollars when you can put them directly back into a community and create a space where everyone benefits."

Also speaking at the event was Rep. Dan Williams, who talked about the importance of reading. "This is not just a space where reading takes place; it's a place where community will be established, where relationships will be built," he stated.

Other speakers included Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz and Honey Brook Township Supervisor Salvatore DiGiacomo.

"On behalf of Honey Brook Township, I would like to congratulate and thank our representatives, library board, staff, volunteers and contributors for making this challenging and exciting project come to fruition," DiGiacomo said. "We as a community will benefit for years to come and are excited for what you brought to this (area)."

Closing remarks were offered by Gennaro "Rocky" Avvento, board of trustees president. "I have some prepared remarks, but you know I'm thinking back to the 'Rocky' movie - the last one where he the underdog goes 12 rounds with Apollo, the world champion at that time, and beats him," said Avvento. "(Rocky) says at the end, 'Yo, Adrian. We did it.' And we did it here (at the library). It was a tremendous accomplishment."

Following the program, the ribbon cutting was held outside the main entrance of the library. Attendees were able to enjoy snacks and refreshments and tour the library's new spaces, including the expanded book nook, called the Janice Shultz Corner Book Boutique; the new children's wing; and an adult reading room.

The Honey Brook Community Library is located at 687 Compass Road, Honey Brook. For more information about library activities, visit http://www.honeybrooklibrary.org or search for "Honey Brook Community Library" on Facebook.