On Monday, March 5th I attended a town meeting where people shared ideas for a new library in Wayland. In the same meeting someone shared an idea to keep the old library and renovate. Both ideas have pros and cons. This is what I learned.
First the library trustee chair spoke and presented their idea. Their idea is to create a new library located at 195 Main St which is right by my middle school. They are getting a $10 million dollar grant for the new building. Additionally, it will cost taxpayers around $16 million dollars. They showed us blueprints and drawings of the new building including a larger teen room, updated technology throughout the entire building, a huge meeting space, kitchenette, Children’s Room and open seating for anyone. It is two times as large as our existing library. It will take 4 to 5 years to build the new library. Other questions asked included how much it will cost to operate the new building and what their plans are for the old library.
After the Chair presented her idea, another women proposed her idea to renovate the existing library. Her point of view is the role of libraries are changing. People can now access books and even whole libraries on their phones, including the Library of Congress. Also people can check out books electronically and have access to the e-books. She also explained the costs of both the new library and cost to renovate the old library. The cost to renovate would save the taxpayers $13 million dollars. If the town decides to build a new library, they will have to renovate the old building anyways and that will cost an additional $5 million dollars. She proposed that the current can be renovated and expanded for $9.5 million dollars.
In my opinion, I believe we should just keep the old library and make renovations as we need. We should save our money to put towards other town projects such as athletic fields and renovating the old fire station. As a town we do not have an endless supply of money; therefore, we should be frugal and wise with our cash. We have a lot of town needs and a new library is not a “need” but a “want.” Yes, a new library would be cool but why do we need a library to be two times the size of the old library? With a little expansion and some renovation, the old library will better serve the needs of our town.
On April 2nd, the town of Wayland will come together to vote whether or not to fund a new library. If you could vote, what would you choose?
