>> BALDWIN COUNTY
The Collins P. Lee Memorial Schoolhouse is now transitioning into the Collins P. Lee Memorial Library through a $1.2 million grant from Senator Jon Ossoff .
Named after Collins P. Lee, who once served as a county commissioner as well as a member of Milledgeville City Council, the school has sat vacant for several years. However the Harrisburg Neighborhood Revitalization and Master Plan, created on March 14, 2016, representing an ongoing community-wide effort that plans to revitalize the school building and its property.
“Through hope, dedication, support and love, we will build on the strengths of our historic community to provide opportunities, education and quality housing to meet the dreams of families, youth and seniors of Harrisburg. Our leadership, commitment and experience proves that we can create a sustainable, vibrant and transformed community,” says the mission statement in the master plan.
Local residents, local and international Habitat for Humanity, Georgia College, Baldwin County Family Connection, the Recreation Department, commissioners, former commissioner Tommy French, the Community Garden Association, Live Healthy Baldwin, Northridge Christian Church and T&S Hardwood all came together to bring the master plan into fruition over six years.
“The community came together to transform this space,” said Carlos Tobar, Baldwin County manager. “Before their efforts, the location was not a welcoming place for the community to gather and all of these installments were made to change that.”
Over the course of the plan, the property flourished and now includes a garden, a pavilion, walking track, playground and a splash pad. And now, the old school house will finally be revitalized into a new educational center to be known as the Collins P. Lee Memorial Library.
“The original planning began in May of 2015 and finished in March of 2016. Education was the top priority for the collaborative so a library is a way to meet that goal,” said Tobar.
In 2018, French asked Tobar if the county could pursue state funding to convert the Collins P. Lee Community Center into a library. Over the years, the project “climbed the list of priority” for being funded.
“I introduced members of the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners to Julie Walker, Georgia’s state librarian, during the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia conference. She already knew of the project from our funding requests and this gave commissioners an opportunity to tell her why it was important,” said Tobar. “When we asked for the funding again this past year, Senator Ossoff contacted Brown with a request for projects to pursue and the Collins P. Lee library was one of the projects she offered to him.”
Ossoff approved a $1.2 million federal grant for the University System of Georgia to construct a new library in Milledgeville. The county was informed of the grant acceptance by an employee with the Middle Georgia Regional Library in Macon.
“Two members of Senator Ossoff’s staff and 50 members of our community attended a meeting about the upcoming library. His staff was amazed by the community support for the project,” said Tobar.
According to an email from Ossoff’s press secretary Daniela Campos López to The Baldwin Bulletin, the project will specifically include a computer lab, kitchen for nutrition literacy classes, community development and programming space in the Collins P. Lee Memorial Library. In addition, Ossoff will be supporting a summer reading program, school-sponsored afterschool program, and library-led workforce development initiatives.
“The new library will have a positive impact for families and children in Milledgeville and surrounding areas who would benefit from the educational resources to succeed in school,” wrote López in the email.
There is no official date of completion yet announced for the library; however, Tobar informed The Baldwin Bulletin that the keys to the school house have been turned over to the Middle Georgia Regional Library, which will be in charge of the transformation.