Whether a library is built depends on funding and approval.
By Eileen M. Adams
Staff Writer

RUMFORD – A new library may be years in the future, but selectmen agreed Thursday to hold the former Stephens High School lot for five years so money could be raised to build one.

Kathy Sutton, chairwoman of the Rumford Public Library Growth Committee, told the board the committee has recommended building a larger, more user-friendly library to serve the needs of learners of the 21st century.

“During our decision-making process, we decided the best way to do this is to build a new facility. It won’t happen overnight and a lot of work by a lot people will need to be done,” she said.

The former school lot on Penobscot Street offers many advantages, she said, including being in a residential neighborhood and having plenty of parking space.

Whether a library is built will depend on finding the substantial amount of money needed and getting townspeople’s approval, among other things.

The committee, and the Rumford Public Library Board of Trustees before them, has been trying to find ways to improve the services of the century-old public library for several years.

Built in 1903 as a Carnegie library, with an addition constructed in 1969, it was perfect for the time, but not now, according to a report compiled by librarian Karl Aromaa.

There is very little parking, substandard restroom facilities, cramped space for the increasing needs of a more technologically-oriented world and hard to negotiate interior and exterior stairways.

The issues surrounding the project will go before the public over the next few months and years.

In the meantime, the committee will begin searching for grant money to help pay for a new, one-story building.

“We want five years (on the SHS lot) so we will see how much money we can raise,” Sutton said.

The hope is to find as much grant money as possible so that a small amount of public money will be needed.

Library trustees had a feasibility study of library needs and options completed last year by Scott Simon Associates. At that time, the architectural firm had recommended building a new facility rather than renovating and expanding the current library.

The committee, with input from the public, will also explore alternative uses for the old library as part of the educational process on the need for a new library,

eadams@sunjournal.com