Time capsule: Mars library doubles in size after 2009 project
The completion of a youth area and community room at the Mars Area Public Library coincided with the hiring of a new library director in August 2009.
Mary Jo Simons came on board to lead the library on Grande Avenue, which had recently doubled in size to 9,000 square feet. The Agnes Hudac Youth Library and Mars National Bank Community Room, along with new bathrooms and a vestibule, opened in August 2009.
The $200,000 project kicked off in fall 2007. Simons said the first phase of renovations was funded through donations, including $30,000 each from FBC Chemical and Mars National Bank. Officials with FBC Chemical of Mars made the donation in honor of their mother, Agnes Hudac, who instilled in her six sons a love of reading.
The youth library had new computers and furniture, including overstuffed furnishings for teenagers in the young adult area.
