COVINGTON, Ga. - Covington Branch Library celebrated the end of its four-month-long renovation with a ribbon cutting Thursday, June 27.

Dr. Steve Whatley, chairman of NCLS board of trustees, gave a speech during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He expressed his gratitude to GPLS’s Julie Walker, state librarian and associate vice chancellor for libraries, and Nate Rall, director of planning and construction.

Whatley stated that the renovation “would not be possible without the partnerships we have formed.”

Lace Keaton, library director at the Covington Branch, took a moment to express her gratitude towards the project works, who were awarded chair-shaped pins for the work done on the old chairs within the library - all 121 of them!

In July 2018, Newton County Library System’s Covington Branch Library was awarded a State Capital Outlay grand through the Georgia Public Library Services. The grant, which was budget at $1.1 million, was funded by state Capital Outlay, local library funds and SPLOST. Funds from the grant could only be used for construction, not repairs or maintenance.

Renovations were completed by PRIME contracting and Craig Gaulden Davis, an architectural firm. Both firms have been used in the past by the Newton County Library System. 

The renovations included upgrades in both internal and external lighting, new carpet, paint, bathrooms and technology. 

Covington Branch Library is now open for reading and researching. The library’s hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.