By Jim Hunt for the News and Journal
News and Journal
Back in 1975, when I was sixty pounds lighter and much more agile, I was a member of the West Virginia National Guard, and we were asked to assist the Clarksburg Public Library move into their new building on West Pike Street in Clarksburg. The building was designed by world famous architect, Marcel Breuer and was probably one of the most modern looking buildings in the state. About thirty members of our Guard unit worked all weekend carrying box after box of books from the Waldomore, the library’s previous home, to the empty shelves in the new building. It was a fun diversion from our usual weekend drills, where we did maintenance on heavy equipment or carving an airstrip into the Appalachian hillside in Philippi. I might had forgotten this bit of trivia, but the director of the library reached out to me after I mentioned my connection to the opening of the new library building, at the book release event for my new book, The Entrepreneurial City. She asked if I might relate this story for an event that the library is having to commemorate the 50 th anniversary of the Clarksburg Library building.
As I was thinking about the library and the upcoming event, I saw a news story announcing that the Clarksburg Library was going to be closed as they dealt with a roof leak that had done substantial damage to the first and second floor of the half century old building. I guess it’s predicable that, after 50 years, the building would be showing signs of wear, but this seemed like more damage than a simple roof leak. As the closure went on for several weeks, the library management and staff were working behind the scenes to get this community resource back in service. With local budgets strained, it was going to take a cooperative effort to gather the funding to properly repair the roof and the damage it caused inside the building.
If that isn’t the textbook definition of an “entrepreneurial city,” I don’t know what is. In the book, I argue that local governments and community anchors—libraries, museums, parks—must think less about who owes them help and more about who shares their mission. That mindset turned a roof leak into a lesson: when public, private, and nonprofit sectors refuse to stay in their lanes, potholes get filled, roofs get fixed, and progress gets traction.
Sutter Roofing, a longtime Clarksburg business, along with Versico Roofing Systems donated materials and labor in the amount of $30,000 dollars to assist with the repair. The Kelly Miller Community Center worked with the library to host several events while the library was closed for repairs and the City of Clarksburg sent crews to assist with ripping up the damaged flooring and removing debris. This speaks volumes about our community and the willingness to think entrepreneurially.
As federal and state funding continues to decline for local governments, we need to find ways to work together and utilize local talent and resources to build better communities. So, let’s tip our hats to Sutter Roofing, Versico, the Kelly Miller Community Center, and our own city crews.
Their quick action kept the lights on, the books dry, and the story times rolling. As we celebrate the library’s golden anniversary later this year, I’ll be thinking less about the boxes I carried in 1975 and more about the people who are still willing to carry the load today.
Here’s to a community that knows how to roll up its sleeves, pass the books forward, and keep the rain where it belongs—outside on the sidewalk, reflecting the glow of a building that still looks decidedly modern, half a century on. May that spirit continue to flow, intentionally this time, into every corner of Clarksburg.
