“I can’t think of a better way to spend your tax dollars than for this beautiful library,” said Charles County Commissioner President Candice Quinn Kelly. Indeed everyone who spoke at the dedication and grand opening of the Waldorf West Public Library remarked at its beauty. The county’s fourth, and by far the largest, public library is a testament to the hard work and dedication of a number of people and funding from the county, state, community organizations and private citizens.

Especially singled out for her persistence was Charles County Public Library Director Emily Ferren. “I hope today is just the beginning for you to see how a library can be used,” an emotional Ferris said during her remarks. She especially thanked the staff of the library system for their hard work and dedication.

Kelly recognized the dedication of the county’s Library Board of Trustees. She noted that the building was the first public building in the county that is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment) certified.

Kelly noted that the new library has six community meeting rooms. “It offers the citizens a sense of community,” she said. She recognized that we live in a world of instant, mobile communication. But she said there is still a need for a place for people to gather. “We still have to reach out,” she said.

Delegate Peter Murphy, chair of the Charles County delegation, said “It’s all about learning and education and making sure that there is a level playing field.”

The new library includes: lighting arrangement featuring the constellations built into the children’s area; radio frequency identification for library materials; dive-through book drop; natural lighting; public art gallery; historic buildings of Charles County on metal canvas; and the six public meeting rooms.

All five county commissioners attended the ceremony along with former commissioners Sam Graves and Gary Hodge.

Library Board of Trustees members are Barbara Cooksey Feeney, George Harrington, Christopher Iekel, Stephanie Possehl, Henry Scharles, David Thomas, Sr. and Samuel Worsley, Jr.

The design team which helped develop the library plan is Lisa Clark, Emily Ferren, Diane Johnson, Deborah Knott, Aaron Krebeck, Charles Owens and Janet Salazar.

The library is located in St. Charles at the O’Donnell Lake Restaurant Park overlooking O’Donnell Lake. The address is 10405 O’Donnell Place, Waldorf.

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