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PUTNAM --- The Putnam Public Library Exploratory Building Committee has recommended to the Board of Selectmen that the town build a new two-story library on Church Street on the Quinebaug River.
Selectmen unanimously voted to apply for a state library building grant and to buy the property, pending a referendum, expected to be scheduled in early December.
“We have developed a plan that we believe will serve the library for decades, as well as provide community space in a central riverfront location,” said committee Chairman George Tsanjoures. “And this site will offer everyone an opportunity to enjoy this beautiful location on the Quinebaug River in downtown Putnam.”
Library Director Priscilla Colwell said the present library has been unable to meet all the increasing demands for library space and services in recent years. She also said the library needs to respond to evolving demands of the 21st century.
“”The Library has a real need for handicapped accessible space for our community to use for multiple purposes. Events such as library programs for all ages, literacy classes, community meetings, and tutoring have been vying for very limited space. We are looking forward to having more space to offer even more programs and services to our customers," said Colwell.The proposed library would include meeting space for 150 people that would be accessible after library hours, quiet rooms for tutoring and study, a computer lab, a local history room for collections, research and meetings and a dedicated area for teens, all not available at the present library. The entire second floor would house the children’s library, ensuring a safe and inviting space for our children. It would include the children’s collection, computers and a separate story hour and craft room. If voters approve the proposal, selectmen would appoint a building committee, which would hire a project architect and oversee the project.
The town has applied for a $1 million state library building grant. Should the referendum be approved, the town would seek other state assistance funds and a private donation campaign would be started. The exploratory building committee was appointed by selectmen in January 2012 to hire an architect to look at available sites to find a solution to the needs of the town’s busy 58-year-old library building. The current building has accessibility, space and utility problems.
The committee first looked at renovating or rebuilding at the popular current Kennedy Drive location. However, the site is not big enough to adequately solve the library’s problems, according to Tsanjoures.
A study of the armory site on Wicker Street found that it would cost the same to renovate the old armory or build new. The committee felt the site was too far outside the core downtown area and too isolated, especially for weekend or evening use.
The committee also investigated building at the north end of the shopping plaza, but there was not an appropriate combination of town and private land for a site.
The exploratory building committee also discussed two sites not currently available that the town’s facilities committee has suggested. Committee members felt the Owen Tarr recreation complex on School Street, a popular athletic field, was outside the core downtown area. Members also were concerned that with the current town-owned library building to become vacant and the School Department slated to leave Town Hall with completion of the high school building project, a large community building complex at Tarr field would not be needed.
The committee was advised by its architect that it would be difficult to renovate part of the Provencial House on Church Street, currently for sale, for use as a library. He said the building offers little appropriate open space area and it might not be appropriate for the weight bearing requirements of a library.