By SUE ELLEN ROSS

Staff Reporter

GARYVILLE – Residents of the Mt. Airy/Garyville area will soon be checking out books at their new library.

Due for completion by mid-summer, the Frazee-Harris branch of the St. John Parish Library is shaping up.

“Everything is on schedule,” said Randy DeSoto, executive director of the St. John Parish Library System. “We are about to start putting the roof on.”

St. John Councilman Allen St. Pierre was instrumental in bringing the library project to fruition.

“It took me two years to work up different sites.” he said. “I also received input from residents.” After weighing the pros and cons of suggestions, the location of the corner of Historic Main Street and Historic Front Street seemed to be the way to go, he added.

When constructing a metal building, such as the new library, it takes a little longer than when building a wooden structure. The processes of setting rafters and pre-fabrication takes a while, according to St. Pierre.

But using a steel frame has many advantages. There’s less to worry about regarding termites and the foundation for the roof.

“We are making really good progress,” St. Pierre said of the current construction.

The look of the new library was designed to ‘fit in’ with the neighborhood. Roofing and siding material will copy those on buildings in the immediate area.

The cost of the new building comes in at about $835,000. St. John Parish is taking care of $800,000 from bond money; the remaining monies will come from the library’s budget.

The 5,500 sq-ft. structure will replace the current 1,600 sq-ft. library, which is located next to the post office.