Talkeetna Library Groundbreaking

We can definitely say now, yes, this is really going to happen. 1, 2, 3!

Whoa! This will be a place where neighbors come to meet neighbors, where we'll bring our children to listen to stories and make things of beauty and take them home. We'll come here in the dark of winter for light and warmth, and in the summer will come to celebrate the sunshine and the rain. There's always the rain. And I could go on and on, but I think you begin to see what this new building is going to mean to all of us in these three communities.

Having lived overseas for a number of years, I can attest to the fact that America's libraries are unique, and the role that they play in the fabric of our nation and our communities is unprecedented. Libraries change lives and they build communities, and that is what we will do here. [Speaker:CHUCK] Sorry. [Speaker:CHUCK] 1, 2, 3! [Speaker:CHUCK] So we're hoping that it kind of gives that feeling of having the kind of lodgey look, kind of Alaskan look, what people who visit Talkeetna would expect to see.

One of the things we tried to do is incorporate some local materials into it, so we've got some river rock that we actually specified to be produced from local quarries. Public libraries are really a critical center of community in many respects, and this library in particular, I think, and the ideas that are in its design and being able to really bring community in and have multifunctional spaces in addition to the critical resources that libraries bring are exactly what is wonderful to see and really to applaud. You know, the entire valley has been so progressive in looking at really placing public libraries as an important aspect of community. 1, 2, 3! Woo-hoo!

Woo-hoo! So it's really fun to see projects get funded and get built rather than talk about them or study them and things like that. And of course for me, living across in Trapper Creek for 25, 30 years, it's fun to see the Northern Valley continue to develop. And, you know, I will miss going to community council meetings in the old library though. You know, you're kind of stuffed in there.

The community council is about 3 feet in front of you, and I'll kind of miss that part of life, but this is a great way to start. You know, state government works when communities are alive and engaged, and Talkeetna is one of the prime examples. And I'm sure that, you know, that's why it's an honor to be here. You know, it's an honor to be here to mark this day because there's just going to be a lot of things that happen in this library that will help define Talkeetna, help make us proud.