Published: June 30, 2009 09:19 am      

Library’s opening fulfillment of dream

Edwards to attend event; explains cap and trade vote

U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, plans to attend two events in Johnson County on Wednesday.

Edwards will first speak in Cleburne at the grand opening of the East Cleburne Community Center Library from 12:30- 1:30 p.m.

The center is housed in the former Santa Fe Elementary building on 304 Trinity St.

A meet and greet reception, hosted by ECCC, begins at noon in the cafeteria.

A community project

The ECCC library is for all Cleburne residents to enjoy, said Jean Pickett, ECCC executive director, but was created to fill a need in the east side of town.

“It was [ECCC member] Millie Vaughn’s dream and inspiration,” Pickett said. “She mentioned to the board and several friends, and it bloomed from there. The community really got involved, and a lot of people got involved bringing in books and more books.”

It’s not a competition thing, Vaughn said. Cleburne Public Library officials donated shelving and helped ECCC in the endeavor.

“We have a need for a library here,” Vaughn said. “We have a magnificent library downtown, but this will be convenient for residents and kids in the area. It’s just a dream I had because I felt we had a real need for a library, and a lot of people can’t get downtown. The community has been behind this and I hope they use it because we have books covering all ranges.”

The ECCC library will also carry newspapers and magazines, Vaughn said.

“With the price of magazines, and especially books, a lot of people just can’t afford them, but still love to read,” Vaughn said.

The library seeks donations of books, money and volunteers, Pickett said.



Burleson

Edwards also plans to host a press conference in Burleson on Wednesday from 2:15-2:45 p.m. The press conference concerns a BearCat armored vehicle the Burleson Police Department recently received through a State Homeland Security Grant. The conference will take place in the front left parking lot of the Burleson City Service Center at 1675 John Johns Drive.



Cap and Trade vote

Edwards voted against the Emissions Trading bill, better known as cap and trade, which passed the House by a 219-212 vote on Friday. The bill seeks to control pollution by limiting the amounts of pollution businesses can emit.

“I voted against the energy cap and trade bill because I am concerned it could increase gasoline and utility costs for families, farmers and businesses during tough economic times,” Edwards said. “Addressing global warming is a laudable goal, but I respectfully disagree with President Obama and Speaker Pelosi on this bill and believe it could cost jobs and hurt the economy, especially in oil, gas and coal producing state such as Texas.”