Info Meeting for New Public Library in Stamford
Mountain Eagle – March 24, 2023
By Liz Page
STAMFORD – Preliminary plans for a new Stamford Village Library are just about ready to come off the architect’s drawing board and members of the community have an opportunity to be involved in what it will look like before it reaches a final draft. This Saturday, March 25 from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., the second of two informational meetings regarding a new library will take place at Stamford Village Hall, 84 Main Street, in Stamford.
Architect for the project, Paul Mays of Butler Rowland Mays Architects, of Ballston Spa, will be in attendance with preliminary plans for building which will be located on 1.6 acres at 139 West Main Street in the village of Stamford. It is vacant property where the former New Grant House hotel once stood at the corner of West Main and Lake St. (state Rt. 10).
Barbara Balliet, chairman of the Stamford Library Association Board of Directors, said the $3.69 million project will provide more space, more parking and greater efficiency. It will allow them to expand existing programs and offer additional programs.
Erika Eklund, director of the library, said it will provide the community with the library it deserves. “We looked at seven or eight sites for a new library,” said Balliet. “This one met our criteria.” There is access to easy parking and there is walkability. It is located just 200 yards from the current library. It will have a small designated parking lot that will have three handicapped spots and an area for van access. “It will have better, safer access.”
The library board purchased the property last fall and began the siting process six to eight months ago and have been working with Mays for about a year.
Eklund said the current library only has Main St. parking and the winter snowbanks can make it difficult for those who have mobility challenges or are slow crossing the busy street. The other option is a steep climb from the public parking lot.
“This building will provide more than twice the space we have currently,” said Balliet. It will have 6,000 square feet of space that will accommodate a large meeting room for 70 people, a kitchenette, screening room and other spaces. It will also allow for public access to the area when the library is closed, including the kitchenette to accommodate other gatherings/meetings.
There will be a landscaped green belt around the outside of the building and there will be screening for the neighboring homes. Existing trees will be left to create a tree line along the existing perimeter.
“It will be a nice, new, beautiful space that is energy efficient and will allow us to keep our operating expenses low in the future,” said Balliet.
She said they have been working with the architect, who specializes in libraries and has 30 years of experience. His expertise is involving the community in order to build a library that serves their needs and wishes.
There will be a teen room, a local history room, a reading area, a designated children’s room. There will be small and large meeting tables and space for six computers. There will be a designated children’s section that will be connected to an outdoor children’s park. Children will be able to hold outdoor programs for the children.
“That’s why we are holding these meetings. To see what those in the community would like to see in the library.”
Eklund said Mays will take the comments and work to incorporate them into the plans, which will be brought back to the community at a future meeting. “He will listen to what people have to say and do some more design work before bringing it back to the community, to show them what he came up with,” said Eklund.
The new library space is needed because the building that houses the library is 100 years old and has no space to grow. They can’t expand their footprint and they are dealing with outdated infrastructure and old construction. For example, there are very few electrical outlets in the building, with circuits failing at times when more than one item is plugged in. Technology is also a challenge in the existing building, although the free WiFi has been upgraded to be available anywhere in the building.
Both women are excited at the thought of having new space where the library will be able to expand its services. They are hoping to begin site preparation next year, with the new building completed by 2026.
“We are raising money through corporate, foundation, individual and state grants,” said Balliet. “There will be no tax dollars involved and no bonding. All of the money will be raised by the library board through those various sources and a fundraising drive.”
And for those who don’t think the library is utilized by the community, the Stamford Library was open more than 1,700 hours last year. It fell just shy of 1,900 computer sessions. The library has 35,541 pieces in its collection, which includes print, electronic, DVDs and other devices. Eklund points out that a lot of non-traditional things are offered through the library. She recently added a sewing machine to the collection of items that may be checked out with your library card. At the new library, they hope to have a number of computers that can be checked out and taken home in addition to offering free internet on computers at the library. They also do copying, send faxes and other things that benefit the community.
Eklund said they have a telehealth kit, which allows a mobile hot spot and a laptop computer for telemedicine consultations. People are using the computers to open job interviews, do their taxes and many other things.
Perhaps one of the most important things happening at the library are the micro-communities, such as the gardening discussion group, writers group, adult literature group, Crafternoon kids crafts, quilting, numerology and cosmic connections, caregivers of young children and other groups. There are history presentations and a myriad of other topics that are designed to help or inform. “It is like a community center with lots of books where we can match people to services,” said Eklund. Which is exactly what the mission statement for the library is: To serve as a community center for lifelong learning, with free and equal access to a broad range of ideas and information through traditional and emerging sources to meet the intellectual, recreational and cultural needs of area residents in a professional and friendly manner.
In many ways, Eklund said they also deal with social services, by helping people who need something, or need help, and connecting them to the services.
Because they are part of the Four-County Library System, items not at the local library are available through 32 other libraries. Last year the library received 3,278 items and sent 3,500 items.
Eklund said their chartered service area is the Stamford Central School District, which includes the towns of Jefferson, Stamford, Gilboa, Kortright and Harpersfield. The library was also utilized by 535 residents from all of those towns outside the village.
“This is a small library with a big footprint,” said Balliet.
If you would like to have input, or get a peak at the new footprint for the library, attend Saturday’s meeting. They do plan to have refreshments.