CULLMAN, Ala. – Right now, it’s a quiet stretch of grass behind the Cullman County Public Library, shaded by trees just beginning to turn red and gold. Soon, it will be a place where children run and climb, families linger together and readers settle in with a good book under the open sky.
Thanks to a $50,000 grant from Lowe’s, the library will soon begin building a play area and quiet outdoor reading spaces in the back yard of its main library on Clark Street.
The library is one of just 100 nonprofits across the country chosen for a 2026 Lowe’s Community Impact Grant.
Assistant Director Shelby Creekmore said the funds will pay for the play area and reading spaces. While the date isn’t set yet, the library hopes to break ground within the next couple of weeks, and a grand opening date will be announced later.
A place to play, gather and read
Lowe’s describes the project as a playground and rock garden on the library’s back lawn, meant to give children a safe place to play, families a place to gather and patrons a peaceful place to read outdoors.
It’s a natural next chapter for a library that already fills its walls with color and creativity, from folded-page book sculptures and towers of stacked books to rows of brightly painted pumpkins this fall. Soon, that same spirit will spill out the back door.
Yearwood Construction is working with the library on the project, Creekmore said. At the library board’s Sept. 9 meeting, leaders said they were working with Lowe’s, Yearwood Construction and ProWorx on furniture options. They want the space to be something the community can enjoy now, while leaving room for it to grow alongside a future building.
Creekmore said the library will share a rendering once the design is final.
A hometown space, chosen from across the nation
The Community Impact Grant program is part of a five-year, $100 million commitment by Lowe’s to renovate community spaces. Each year from 2022 through 2026, the public has been able to nominate a hometown space such as a park, garden or community center. Lowe’s chooses up to 100 projects a year based on community need, feasibility and lasting benefit. Projects must be within 30 miles of a Lowe’s store, and grant money can cover labor, permits, professional services and materials.
Room to grow
The outdoor space is just one part of a bigger story. The main library at 200 Clark St. NE has served Cullman County since 1967, and Lowe’s grant materials note that the building needs to grow along with the community it serves. The library is working with Williams Blackstock Architects on a building campaign for renovations and additions over the next few years.
In May, the library received $500,000 in state funding through Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman. Director Amber Thornton said that money is for early planning and design, including blueprints, soil surveys and site studies, rather than construction.
For now, the next chapter begins out back, on a patch of grass that will soon be filled with laughter, imagination and the turning of pages.
To learn more about the library or its building campaign, visit cullmanlib.org.
