March 4, 2026 marked the 25th Anniversary of the opening of the Romeo District Library (RDL) Graubner Branch. Last week, we began covering its history from its orchard origins to the Groundbreaking Ceremony in 1999. Today, we'll explore its construction, the Dedication Ceremony, and other events in between.
Let's return to 1999. Even though construction officially begain August 1999, there were some battles, that forced to delay it several times. Reasons included "locating the library, the size of the parcel needed, and design changes."
At one point, there was a conflict between the library and the Washington 10 Storage Corporation regarding a gas well on the land, in which the new branch was to built upon. The gas firm originally wanted to build a 100-foot exclusion zone around the well, which was located in the middle of the site. Both parties reached a setttlement in August 1999 when the corporation agreed to plug the offending well. This provided more flexibility in designing the building.
The budget was $4.4 million (over $8 million in today's money), and the intention was to build a 20,000 square foot structure that "can eventually be expanded to 40,000 square feet."
The architectural firm Harley Ellington Design spearheaded the new library's exterior design, and Nancy Lovaas and Mary Jane Williamson from Ford & Earl Design worked on the interior. The general contractor was The Bell Company.
The fruit trees on the land were the first to go as seen in the picture below taken in November 1999.
By July 2000, the walls were up, and the roof was getting installed. Right before Roland Graubner died, he tooked a tour of the site. According to his daughter and Library Board Trustee Kathy Eubank, he was pleased with how it looked.
The RDL Collection contains more photos from the library's construction like this one taken of what is now the main area and the adult room in August 2000.
In November 2000, RDL invited The Romeo Observer for a first look of the new branch as it neared completion. Kirk Haverkamp took several photos including the ones below. The first picture shows Assistant Director Cindy McIntyre and Administrative Assistant Peg Gielow at the circulation desk, while the second depicts the reading room (now the adult area).
However, the construction process was not a walk in the park. The project initially had a $3.5 million budget, but it went over $900,000, and the library received three billings from Harley Ellis totalling $60,000 for more work that delayed the project, according to Library Director Marina Kruse. It didn't help that The Bell Company was also at odds with the architectural firm for over $100,000 in fees. It's not clear these required legal action.
Moreover, there were only enough funds to build the "shell" of the community room, so a campaign to raise $200,000 was organized. Luckily, the Ford Motor Company donated a $50,000 grant for that room to be completed. It was finished in due time.
Before the library officially opened, there were some events that benefited the new branch. On June 12, 2000, the Romeo Monday Club sponsored a Library Benefit Auction. Items up for auction included an English teapot, Detroit Tiger Executive Suite tickets, large Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, a three-hour limousine ride courtesy of Rinke Limousine, a one-night stay at the Brabb House B&B, and a cottage getaway on Lower Herring Lake. The entire list can be seen in our Graubner Family Collection.
In addition, the Friends of the RDL held a gala on Saturday, February 24, 2001. Guests celebrated the new branch's completion and saw the building "laid out along a single, long corridor divided into three large rooms."
One of the things they would've seen was the cluster of cartoonlike, seven-foot tall fruit trees that pay homage to the orchard the library was built on in the children's room. They remain in that area to this very day.
Finally, on Sunday, March 4, 2001, the Graubner Branch officially had its Grand Opening with a dedication and an open house. It involved two ribbon cuttings. One featured Paul Reiz, Washington Township Supervisor Gary Kirsh, and Bruce Township Supervisor Gary Schocke cutting the ribbon to the children's room, and the other had the six members of the RDL Board and Marina Kruse doing the same with the adult room.
The ceremony also had performances from violinists Victoria Swanwick and Jenny Beggs both of Romeo High School; brief remarks from RDL Board President Renee Meyers, Kruse, Deputy State Librarian Jo Budler, and Eubank; and a magic show by Rudy Novak aka "Rudini the Great"
It was a resounding success. Since 2001, patrons have come into the library, whether it's to obtain items, study, or attend programs organized by the staff. RDL couldn't have been more thankful for these past 25 years, especially to Roland Graubner, who made the Graubner Branch possible.
To learn more about the history of the Graubner Branch, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890 to check out our aforementioned collections. If you want to search for articles on that topic, you can find the Romeo newspapers like The Romeo Observer on the Suburban Library Cooperative's Local History Digital Collection website.
Images and sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives; Graubner Family Collection; Romeo District Library Collection; and Melvin E. and Joan D. Bleich Collection; The Romeo Observer, November 8, 2000, p.1-B, February 28, 2001, p.1-A and p.3-A; and March 7, 2001, p.1-A and p.12-A
Quick note: The picture of the Groundbreaking Ceremony in 1999 seen last week also include Deborah Obrecht - Bruce Township Treasurer - and Beth Bodiya - the little girl wearing pants.