We’re Getting Our Library Folks!
We're not doing it because it is easy. We're doing it because we THOUGHT it would be easy.
Actually, that's a flat-out lie – it never seemed remotely easy. We're a small town in a poor part of the state and our taxes are already ridiculously high. Paying for a new library has always felt like a call for a hail Mary pass.
Here’s the actual story:
2001 Lisa Sammet, the new Library Director at the time, vowed to bring the Jeudevine into the 21st century. She said right away that we needed more space. The historic 1896 library is an architectural gem, but also a dollhouse. It holds a total of maybe 20 people all packed in. And oh, by the way, it’s out of compliance with the ADA guidelines in just about every way possible. Totally inaccessible.
2007 The first architects were hired to draw plans. They were limited by the amount of space available to expand, and essentially filled all the available space in the backyard with a two-story rectangle. The drawings were shown around town and the project was discussed at length.
2008 Just as funds were beginning to be raised, the economy crashed. The project was tabled for the time being.
2015 The building next door to the library, the “Old Senior Center” (a 19th century house), became uninhabitable and was given to the town. The town gave the property to the library, to be used for an expansion.
2016 With additional space available, a new set of people came on board to consider a new project. A number of studies and surveys were done, and a different set of architects designed a lovely but not-so-pragmatic addition. It had round walls and a glass-sided walkway. Many public meetings were held.
2017 A municipal bond for $1.9 million was put up to vote, and the voters turned it down. A“Listening Tour” was conducted to find out why people opposed the addition. It was heard that it was “too fancy,” “too expensive,” it “didn’t fit the town,”and the trustees hadn’t yet raised any of the money needed to offset taxpayer expense.
2018 Out of the blue, just after I got handed the job of being chair of the trustees, the library received two large bequests, totally over a half million dollars. It was a miracle. From this, a new project was born. Different people became involved and a committee of 14 people spent six months deciding how best to layout the new building so as to maximize space, reduce cost, and assure total accessibility.
2019 A third set of architects were hired—ones with experience adding to historic buildings in not-so-affluent towns. The trustees began to raise money. We held events. We wrote grant applications. We spoke to everyone and their grandma. We sent thousands and thousands of letters. It went on. And on. And on.
2020 In the early spring of 2020, we were starting to get close. We were within $100,000 of our goal for private donations, and it looked promising we’d get two big grant awards. And then the pandemic struck. The grant awards were all delayed. All fundraising had to stop. Everything was on hold. Then, in June, slowly things started moving again. We got notice we’d received both grants. We sent out yet another letter to our supporters, and suddenly we were close enough to hold the bond vote. In a rush job to have it voted with the state primary so as not to hold a special election, it was scheduled for August 11. However, with the pandemic having crushed the economy, it was far from certain we could pass a bond at this time.
And then, by some miracle, even in the midst of mayhem, the bond passed.
So . . . after nearly twenty years – a green light shone.We’re getting our library folks. It’ll be a new era for Hardwick – to have a library that’s not just a book warehouse, but also a community center and learning hub.