Jerry Overaa was interviewed on July 23rd, 2009, by Brenda Heppler. Jerry was CEO of C. Overaa & Co., the construction company that built the new library. At the time of this interview he had also been a Lafayette resident for over 40 years. Jerry’s company had built libraries in Orinda, Danville, and other cities prior to being selected for this project. The plans called for state-of-the-art materials and unique structural elements, which required a contractor with the kind of extensive professional experience that Jerry had. He knew well that a small group of individuals could combine their efforts to create a transformative community institution, which is what he now saw happening in his home town. Jerry says “the dedication and determination of all the people involved” was unlike anything he had seen before. He says that the community-wide effort to build the new library–even before the first services and programs were launched–was already bringing Lafayette’s citizen’s together.
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