PAC Formed to Support Library Expansion Voting

Supporters of a project to expand the Tolland Public Library have formed a political action committee called "YES for a Better Library."

The group's mission is to urge residents to pass the library expansion issue on the Nov. 5 ballot, organizers said.

According to a news release, members include business owners, parents, library users and other Tolland residents, "who believe the expansion of the library into the old Hicks gym at town hall is a modest, cost-effective solution to cramped conditions at the current library."

The group’s chairwoman is Susan Beeching and its treasurer is Gerald F. Griffin, according to a news release.

“I always loved our former library housed in the old courthouse. Others had the vision to build our present library, which offers so much more,” Beeching said. “I believe that the proposed renovations will be another great step forward.”

Members of YES for a Better Library will be visiting community group meetings to educate the public about the project this fall and will have a booth at Celebrate Tolland on Sept. 21 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. behind the Hicks Center, according to a news release. 

The $2.6 million project would expand the library by 43 percent into the Hicks Center gym. Town officials have identified as much as $1.9 million in grants that will help fund the expansion.

In June, the Town Council set the referendum date.

“Some residents may believe the council has already approved the project, but that is incorrect,’’ Beeching said. “We need your yes vote on Nov. 5 to make this happen.”

Supporters of the project believe the current library is undersized. At 13,348 square feet, it is also much smaller than the libraries in other comparable towns.

The library in Ellington, for example, is 28,000 square feet for a population nearly identical to Tolland’s, according to a news release. 

For more information, visit yesfortolland.com or call Gerald Griffin at 860-875-9325.