Reps. Jason Rojas, Henry Genga, and Timothy Larson participate in the groundbreaking ceremony.
October 31, 2013
State legislators for East Hartford joined Gov. Dannel P. Malloy Thursday at Raymond Public Library to hail the groundbreaking of an $8.7 million expansion and renovation project, financed in part by $4 million in state grants.
Reps. Jason Rojas, Henry Genga, and Timothy Larson participate in the groundbreaking ceremony.
"Raymond Library is a cornerstone of my legislative district and I am delighted to see this project going forward," Rep. Henry Genga (D-East Hartford) said. "The library has been and will continue to be a tremendous asset to the town for many, many years. I can't wait for the completion of this project so we can see what a beautiful and up-to-date facility the people of East Hartford will have and deserve."
Genga praised the town's legislators – Reps. Jason Rojas (D-East Hartford, Manchester) and Timothy Larson (D-East Hartford, Manchester, South Windsor) and Sen. Gary LeBeau (D-East Hartford) – along with Malloy for helping him secure the state grants.
"Today is a special day for East Hartford as our flagship library begins its transition to becoming a stronger center of life and learning for our community," Rojas said.
"I want to thank Mayor Marcia Leclerc for her diligence and Governor Malloy for his appreciation of the library's importance to the town and his support for the state funding," Larson said.
Rojas recalled spending a great deal of his childhood at Raymond Library. "My best friend Dave and I would often walk from Plain Drive to the library when we couldn't afford to go to summer camp. We would spend hours in the stacks, reading books, and in the library's museum. The museum never seemed to get old to us and one was of the primary ways in which we understood the history of our town. And today as a parent, the library remains that critical asset for learning as my children benefit from having a vibrant and welcoming library to visit and learn from," Rojas said.