October 22, 2011
RAYMOND LIBRARY SLATED TO GET STATE MONEY
By Ed Jacovino, Journal Inquirer
After languishing without enough funding for years, the plan to renovate and expand East Hartford’s Raymond Public Library is ready to go, as the state is poised to pump $4 million into the project this month.
“We’ve literally outgrown this space,” Library Director Pat Jones said Friday. “If you come in on a typical day, it’s sometimes very hard to find a free space to sit.”
The funding is slated to be released next Friday by the State Bond Commission. The commission approves the release of funds financed by state borrowing. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy chairs the commission and sets its agenda. Lawmakers approve the projects.
Plans call for a two-floor, 11,600-square-foot addition to the back of the library. That would bring the library to 33,341 square feet. With its population, East Hartford is supposed to have a library with about 50,000 square feet, Jones said.
And the space was getting so cramped that it was nearing the point of throwing out books just to free up space, Jones said. More and more people are using the library, he said. “We are heavily used and in bad times in particular, we’re used — as are most libraries — more than normal,” Jones said.
Plans include space for books, seating, a meeting space for public use, and an expanded children’s section, Jones said.
He hopes to start work on the expansion in the next two or three months.
The project is expected to cost $6.1 million. Town residents approved $2.1 million in bonding in 2008 referendum. The town also had been approved for a $1 million grant from the Connecticut State Library. That’s included in the money set to be released Friday. The extra $3 million from the state is what’s new.
Jones, who has worked at the library since 1969, said the expansion is big news. The last time the library was expanded was in 1968. It was supposed to last about 20 years, he said.
“I’m absolutely elated,” Jones said. “This is probably the biggest thing that’s happened here during my experience.”
Local lawmakers also are pleased by Malloy’s decision to fund the expansion.
“This project will dramatically improve the quality of life for East Hartford, and I’m very happy we’ve been able to make it happen,” Rep. Henry J. Genga, D-East Hartford, said.
The state funding comes after Mayor Marcia Leclerc sent a letter to Genga and the town’s other legislators in September urging them to push for the funding. “Additional space is critically needed to improve services and expand benefits for our community,” she wrote.