New London council sees proposal

By Robert Cloud

City council members were given a preliminary look at the proposed library annex during a Committee of the Whole meeting on May 4.

New London Library Director Ann Hunt and Virginia Schlais, president of the library board, presented an update on the proposed project and discussed costs and fundraising efforts.

The annex would be located on South Pearl Street, directly across from the existing library.

The new building would provide a large community meeting room capable of holding up to 100 people.

A kitchen connected to the community room allows that space to be used for organizational meetings and events, as well as educational purposes.

The plan also includes study rooms, computer spaces, a fabrication lab, an area dedicated to hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

Special rooms would allow for creating and editing video and music.

Smaller rooms can be used by two to six people for group study, mentoring or tutoring.

Space for teens is a primary focus of the annex’s design.

“The city of New London really does not have a place for teens,” Schlais said.

She noted the annex would provide a safe space for teens to gather, work together on various projects and “know they’re welcome.”

Hunt said people in the community can use the library’s computers to file for unemployment and find jobs.

Schlais said project construction costs are estimated at about $3 million and donors have pledged $1.5 million.

Hunt said some major donors have asked how much the city is willing to commit to the project.

Several council members raised concerns about operating costs and unanswered questions.

At this point, annual operating costs for additional staff and utilities remain unknown.

Adding staff at the library annex could result in the city cutting employees in other departments to offset the additional staff at the library.

However, there are no firm numbers yet regarding operating costs.

Hunt said the library is still researching the costs and will have more answers at a future meeting.

A six-minute virtual tour was prepared by Keller, the firm designing the annex, and presented at the May 4 meeting.

The video can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpQdTXRmUZU, starting at 1:02:40.