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Opening day is what it's all about. Short kids running through the kiddie section seeking Dr. Seuss, middlesized kids tucked in a corner with Mark Twain and tall kids slouched in over-stuffed chairs eyeing Shakespeare.
Opening day at the new Homer Library last month took Brian Meissner back to his own childhood, days spent getting lost in a library full of dreams and creativity. That's what he tried to create for the people of Homer when he and his team at ECI/Hyer designed this getaway place of learning.
It's something ECI/Hyer Inc. has done for 25 years now.
In the 1970s, Terry Hyer lived in Spokane, Wash., working for Environmental Concern Inc. But Hyer had gotten the wanderlust bug and came to Alaska in its time of growth.
"In 1973, there were ads in the paper telling people not to come to Alaska, the oil pipeline had been delayed," Hyer said. "But it was a combination of me wanting to see the state and the confidence that Alaska was the place to find one's way."
At 25 years old, Hyer and his wife loaded up everything that would fit into their Datson pickup and hit the highway....