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Library's Expansion | Newspaper Articles
July 2, 2005
City breaks ground on library expansion
Hillary Chabot
Sentinel & Enterprise
LEOMINSTER -- About 150 residents joined Library Director
Susan Shelton and Mayor Dean Mazzarella at a groundbreaking
ceremony for the $10.8 million library expansion Friday
morning.
Mazzarella said the project is an investment in the
community.
"This will be putting the 'pearl' back in Pearl Street,"
Mazzarella said. "I just want to thank you all for making
this project happen."
Mazzarella and Shelton, along with state Sen. Robert
Antonioni, state Rep. Jen Flanagan and Massachusetts Board
of Library Commissioner George T. Comeau dug golden shovels
into the library's front lawn to kick off the project's
roughly year-long building phase.
The 20,000-square-foot library at 30 West St. will expand to
44,513 square feet.
The addition built in 1966 will be demolished. The library
will see a total of 35,000 square feet in new construction,
including a new auditorium and city meeting room.
The library has moved to a temporary location on Mechanic
Street until the work is finished, which is expected to be
in 2006.
Mazzarella and other speakers applauded Shelton.
"There's a difference between getting the project done and
getting the project done right, and Susan is really a person
who pays attention to details," the mayor said while looking
at Shelton. "You really are the person who went above and
beyond."
Flanagan remembered playing in the library as a little girl,
and said she feels the timing of the celebration is perfect.
"We're doing this at a point where families are starting to
celebrate," Flanagan said while eyeing the red, white and
blue balloons and a large American flag hanging over the
door.
Children wearing yellow hard hats took part in a
mini-groundbreaking after the speeches, when they grabbed
miniature replicas of the shovels and dug in the sand.
Denise Labenski, 56, took the day off from work to join in
the ceremony.
"The library has supported me since we moved here (17 years
ago)," Labenski said. "It is a cornerstone in the community.
It's a resource whether you have money or you don't."
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