Library begins tribute for volunteer

Those who knew longtime Neill Public Library volunteer Sarah Moore said she had a passion for reading, nature and serving others.

This month, the library began a project it believes encompasses these qualities.

Construction has started on the Sarah M. Moore Memorial River Nook. It will be an elevated outdoor deck with seating overlooking the river that runs next to the library.

“I feel relieved,” said Matthew Root, who was married to Moore until she died in 2012.

Root has helped spearhead the project, which has been in the works since 2008. That is when Moore and Neill Public Library Director Joanna Bailey began having conversations about ways people can enjoy the surrounding natural landscape when they visit the library.

Bailey said they found a spot outside the building that looked ideal, and Moore sketched a conceptual design of what the outdoor nook could be.

Moore died of cancer a few years later in 2012.

Bailey said Root wanted to honor his late wife’s memory and legacy, so he decided to carry on with the project.

“He really thought that would be a beautiful tribute to her,” Bailey said.

Root said Moore was an active volunteer at the library and around the community. According to her obituary, she was a member of the Palouse Prairie Foundation, the Idaho Native Plant Society, the Washington Native Plant Society, the Koppell community children’s garden, the Palouse Discovery Science Center and was a lifetime member of the Plains Anthropological Society.

“It’s just her personality to give up herself and all her time to help others,” Root said.

Through her involvement in the community, she developed a wide circle of friends around town, he said. Those friends joined Moore’s family members in fully funding the Sarah M. Moore Memorial River Nook project through donations. The total construction cost is $83,500, Root said. Reliant Engineer in Pullman also donated half of the engineering costs.

Bailey said the nook will allow the library’s patrons to enjoy the natural features around the library and enhance their experience. In addition to being an outdoor reading space, Root envisions it could be a gathering place and even a place children visiting the library can wait to be picked up by their parents.

Bailey said the nook will be a “perfect tribute for Sarah.” Bailey spoke fondly about Moore’s “desire to encourage learning and to support creative expression and to make an impactful difference in the community she loves.”

After years of trying to get this project off the ground, Bailey said she is thrilled that construction has finally begun.

“It feels so good,” she said.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.