AFTER years of hard work, the long-cherished dream of a modern facility serving the needs of the impoverished Sea Vista community came a step closer with this week’s hand-over of a R3.8-million state-of-the art library to the Kouga Municipality.
Funded mainly by Kouga Wind Farm as part of its socio-economic development programme, the grand opening to the public will take place within two months, giving Sea Vista residents previously unheard-of access to books and online resources.
Those with disabilities will have access to the double-storey facility as it is wheelchair-friendly and boasts an SA Library for the Blind mini library.
“The challenges of accessing up-to-date information, conducive study conditions and research will soon be a thing of the past, not only for children who previously had to travel to Humansdorp to use a library, but also adults who want to study,” said the wind farm’s community liaison officer, Trevor Arosi.
“Tribute must be paid to the local community for the invaluable support which helped make the dream a reality – Kouga Municipality for donating the land, the Rotary Club for the books and their ongoing input and vision, Nordex for their book detection security system and the St Francis public, who collected books, magazines, artwork, CDs and DVDs.”
Guests at the opening included Kouga Municipality’s portfolio councillor for Community Services Danny Benson, Ward 1 councillor Zolani Mayoni, Rotarian Ann Knight and the municipality’s chief librarian, Linda Jack.
Acting on behalf of Executive Mayor Horatio Hendricks, Benson pledged to have the library fully functional within the next two months, while Mayoni thanked stakeholders for the valuable social investment they made to the Sea Vista community.
