We want to hear from you.
The Howland Public Library is beginning an important conversation about the future of our building. Our current facility was constructed around 1950 as a department store, and the library moved here in 1976 after outgrowing the Howland Cultural Center. After many decades of use, the building has significant challenges. We need a new roof with an estimated cost of more than one million dollars. The building has almost no insulation, which wastes money on heating and cooling. There are also structural and accessibility issues that affect how well we can serve our community.
The Library Board invites community members to join us for a public session with our architect. We will review the engineering reports and talk about what our community needs in a modern library building.
This will be the first in a series of workshops about the library facility. The Library Board has not made any decisions. We want to gather input and understand community priorities before we consider any next steps. Your perspective will help guide us as we plan for the future.
Building Committee Meeting Minutes
FAQ: Future of Our Building – Community Meeting
Q: Are you proposing a new library building?
A: No. We are asking the community for input on several challenging facility issues we face in our current building. We are not proposing a new building at this time.
Q: What is the goal of the public meeting?
A: We want to hear what people want from their library and how they feel about the current building and community needs. This feedback will help us plan any future changes to the existing building or decide whether a new building should be considered later.
Q: Why now?
A: The library has tried to address building challenges before, including a referendum for a new building in 2009, which did not pass. Some issues, like the roof, can’t be delayed any longer. Funding is now more stable, and we have the staff and collection to serve the community well, but the building itself is not meeting the needs of our users. It is time to look at long-term solutions.
Q: Do you plan to move the library off Main Street?
A: No. We have not made any plans. This is exactly why we need community input. We want to hear from you before we make any decisions about our future.
Q: What is the timeframe?
A: We will hold several public sessions with our architect to review building issues and learn about the community’s needs, wants, and concerns. After that, the architect will return with possible concepts to confirm that we heard the community correctly. We will continue planning with the community from that point.