FACT OF THE DAY The new Grau-du-Roi media library revealed

After 20 months of work, the new building housing the municipal hall for festivals and meetings, the Agora, and the Ernest-Hemingway intercommunal media library, was inaugurated on Saturday, November 23 at Grau-du-Roi, in the presence of residents who came in number. No less than 1,200 people gathered in the morning, eager to discover the interior of this wave-shaped building. As the speeches continued, the residents grew impatient to finally be able to open the door. And the surprise seems to have lived up to their expectations, judging by their reactions. “It's magnificent!“, seemed to be the phrase of the morning. The architectural firm Ateliers A+ in charge of the project built a building with a strong Mediterranean and maritime imprint. If the ceiling recalls the waves, the floor recalls sand .

On the ground floor is the community hall for parties and meetings, which can accommodate up to 900 people standing, and 500 in a seated configuration. “We didn't have any. It is therefore a tool that can respond to all the aspirations of local and associative life.“, rejoiced Robert Crause, the mayor of Grau-du-Roi, who recalled the importance of such places in promoting social bonds,”which helps fight against isolation and withdrawal.“Upstairs, the Ernest Hemingway intercommunal media library, in homage to the author who stayed twice in the city. This inauguration marks the completion of ten years of restructuring the network of media libraries in Terre de Camargue, after the work carried out in that of Saint-Laurent-d'Aigouze in 2018 and the construction of the new media library in Aigues-Mortes in 2020.

A games room, a vinyl space

“The old one that was in the sports center was not big enough to organize activities like in Aigues-Mortes“, underlines a resident, delighted by the opening of this new 600m2 space. Indeed, Anne Pernet, head of the culture department explains that it could only accommodate 19 people. “We were a bit blocked when it came to welcoming schoolchildren in particular. We will now be able to offer the same welcome to schools in Grau-du-Roi as in other towns in the network.“Each media library complements each other. Here, there is a room with nearly 200 games, as well as a corner with CDs and vinyls, while Aigues-Mortes houses an auditorium. There is also in this new media library a special fund dedicated to fishing and the sea, while Saint-Laurent d'Aigouze houses a fund dedicated to cattle and Aigues-Mortes a fund dedicated to local history. Graulens will now be able to enjoy the media library all day on Saturday, instead of only on Saturday morning. The media library also has a work room with a view of the salt marshes, and two large terraces. Two new recruitments have taken place in order to strengthen the media library. The culture department team which now consists of 14 people.

Several activities took place throughout the afternoon, between workshops, exhibitions, games, and even dances in partnership with various local associations, as well as a concert by the Hedena group at 7 p.m. If this project was strongly criticized by the opposition, the residents present seemed to have already appropriated the place. Given the success of this inauguration, the media library seems to have a bright future ahead of it!

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