County Celebrates Project Completion on September 26, 2023

Pittsylvania County celebrated the completion of the Gretna Branch Library renovations on September 26, 2023, with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The project began in September 2022 after several pandemic-related delays, and for several months the Gretna branch was closed to allow for interior improvements to be completed.

Formerly shared with Danville Community College (DCC), the Gretna Branch Library has expanded into DCC’s former classroom space to add an adult reading area, a meeting room with audio visual equipment, a public computer area, a staff area, a new centralized circulation desk and restrooms for a total of 6,372 square feet.
This expansion allowed the library to redesign its former space to include a dedicated teen area with study tables and chairs, a separate children’s area and children’s computers, a story time room and a youth service staff and circulation desk.

The interior color palette is based on the Pittsylvania County Library logo.

Outdoor improvements include an enclosed an enclosed children’s reading patio, children’s music maze, an outdoor study patio with tables and free Wi-Fi access, a walking trail and outdoor stage.

Patrons are now welcomed to the library campus with colorful stacked letter sculpture spelling “Library,” along Coffey Street.

The renovations were funded with generous donations from the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, J.T. Minnie Maude Charitable Trust, the Danville Regional Foundation and the Hughes Memorial Foundation, which all gave more than $100,000. Sizeable donations were also received from Centra, the Womack Foundation, the Community Foundation of the Dan River Region, the Pittsylvania County Public Library Foundation, Friends of the Gretna Library and the Ed Fitzgerald and Ann Brown Foundation. The library renovation also received numerous donations from the community.

The Library worked with Trenda Leavitt at Beechgrove Design in Lynchburg on the design of the outdoor space.

Library Director Rhonda Griffin thanks all of those whose contributions made this project possible.

"Thanks to the incredible support from our community, the Gretna Library has undergone an inspiring transformation, nearly doubling in size. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, local foundations, sponsors, and donors for making these renovations possible. The new Gretna Library is now open – come visit and experience the positive changes for yourself,” said Griffin.

Former Pittsylvania County Library Director Lisa Tuite, who was instrumental in getting the project started before she retired in 2022, said the re-opening represented a dream come true. She also praised the many organizations, businesses and individuals who helped the project reach completion.

“You pushed us to dream big, and this is the amazing end result,” said Tuite.

“Libraries are special places that everyone in the community can use and benefit from. In these times where everything seems to want to divide us, libraries are a demilitarized zone, a common good and a place of peace. We don’t have to like the same books or read the same books – we can all just read what we like and return what we don’t. Or just enjoy a class together, or a quiet conversation under the trees. We can find community in sharing and enjoying this common resource. I hope the Gretna library will build and strengthen the community and the county for many years to come,” said Tuite.