By Mindy Kearns

For Mason County Extra Edition

MASON — Mason County Library Director Pam Thompson has great expectations in moving the Mason City Library from its present location to a building over three times the size, and she is depending on the help of the county and surrounding area to help make it happen.

According to Thompson, with the approval of the county library board of directors, she made an offer to purchase the Saint Joseph Catholic Church building for $145,000. The church, located on Third Street, has not been used for services in several months. The offer was accepted and the director set out the very next day in an effort to raise funds.

Thompson is applying for a grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council, but the grant is a dollar-for-dollar match. That means the library staff must raise half of what is needed to buy the church to be eligible to receive the remaining half.

Thompson said the conditions are crowded at the present Mason location. The library’s main room is about 1,200 square feet in size. The main room houses all of the adult books, including fiction, non-fiction, and reference. It also holds the circulation desk and the computers area. The main room of the church is around 4,000 square feet.

Parking is a problem at the present library, as well. There are four parking spaces, compared to the 21 spaces that would be available at the church.

“We have repairs to do at the Mason Library as it is now, since it was build in 1974 and was supposed to be a temporary library,” Thompson said. “We have added two rooms to the library, but the front part needs a lot of work, and when the church building came on the market it was an answer to our needs.”

The library staff has enthusiastically drawn a sketch of how the “new” library will be laid out. Along with the main room that will hold the shelves of books, there is ample room for the circulation desk and a large area for the computers and a study area.

The remainder of the church can be shut off when not in use, but will eventually offer a children’s room, teen room, community room that would be available for rent, and a kitchen. There are also multiple restrooms, closets, and storage areas.

“We would be able to offer more family-oriented programs, and more programming altogether,” the director said.

The enthusiasm hasn’t stopped with staff, however. A number of fundraisers are being planned, or have taken place by community members.

Mason County Young Miss 4-H Avery Pinson, daughter of Jonathan and Amy Pinson, recently organized a bake sale for the move. She raised $384 as a community project. Thompson said she has also been approached by an organization that is planning a benefit dinner, a business that is doing a fundraiser, and a mother whose children frequent the library who is organizing a raffle.

The library is raising funds by offering residents the opportunity to honor or remember a special person. For a $100 donation, the donor’s name will be placed on a sign and hung in the library. The donation can be made in honor or in memory of someone, and that will be noted on the sign.

Thompson said if the goal is not reached, donations will be returned.

Donations of any amount can be sent to the Mason City Library, P.O. Box 609, Mason, WV 25260, or dropped off at the Mason library Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

© 2023, Mason County Extra Edition, all rights reserved.

Mindy Kearns is a former reporter and editor for the Point Pleasant Register. A lifelong resident of Mason, she now serves as the town recorder.

(Editor’s Note on accessibility: Mason County Extra Edition attempts to use accessible fonts and alternative text for photographs, to be inclusive of all readers.)