JOHN COFFELTEditor

Coffee County Manchester Public Library is currently in the beginning phases of installing two murals on the exterior of its Hillsboro Boulevard building.

According to Library Director Pauline Vaughn, the front of the building’s work will be painted to resemble a library shelf with classic covered books. The mural on the side of the building facing the parking lot will pay tribute to the history of Coffee County.

“We want to be modern and be a place that when people drive by they say ‘wow’,” Vaughn said to the Coffee County Capital Outlay Committee, which is responsible for the maintenance and care of the county’s properties.

Vaughn approached Capital Outlay to secure permission from the county for the murals before requesting any bids or formalizing designs for the artwork.

She told the committee that she felt the Coffee County Library Board of Trustees would use some of its funds for the project.

Vaughn also proposed using an undeveloped lot that the county owns behind the library as a green space. The roughly .14 acre lot could be used also for the storybook trail, a walking trail with stations that each contain pages of a children’s book. The library received a grant for the trail and constructed it at Fred Deadman Park, but it was taken down after it was constantly vandalized.

“I had it at Manchester City Park – two weeks it was vandalized. At a month it was more vandalized, and within three months they were missing their pieces, just vandalized,” Vaughn said.

The library and its partner in the project, Manchester Parks and Recreation Department, pulled the posts and placed them in storage.

“We don’t have a flat spot to have anything outside and don’t have enough green space,” Vaughn said.

The committee approved 3-0 Vaughn’s requests, with Commissioners Jimmy Hollandsworth and Frank Watkins absent.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.