By Rod Hansen
Staff Writer

New Boston’s library has long been a local landmark, but officials say the building may be due for an expansion.

That’s the thinking that led the Whipple Free Library Foundation to hire a consultant to help prepare a feasibility study for a library building project.

Library building projects have appeared on the town ballot three times during this decade, and all three times failed to garner the 60 percent super-majority of votes needed to pass a bonding proposal.

“We recognize we need to raise some more private funds before going back to town,” said Library Board of Trustees Chairman Deanna Powell.

“A feasibility study really is the first step before you begin a campaign, you need to know how much support there is,” Powell said.

Sandi Mitchell, a consultant from New Hampshire’s Seacoast area, was scheduled to meet with the seven-member board of trustees Thursday, July 13, to discuss the feasibility study and fundraising options, Powell said.

Voters did approve a warrant article at the 2000 Town Meeting for the purchase of a 10-acre site, formerly owned by Randy and Gail Parker, to serve as the location of a new library building.

That article requested $50,000 for the purchase of the land, as well as $25,000 for engineering and architecture expenses.

The purchase of that property was completed in 2003, Powell said.

The land, located behind the post office on the west side of the Piscataquog River, would afford the library a new geographical home. The need for such a new building has reached critical mass, one library trustee said.

“The bottom line is: the Whipple Free Library is a beautiful, beautiful space, but it is tiny by any rational standard,” said library trustee Jed Callen.

“There is absolutely no room in the library for new books. Any time we get a new book, we have to get rid of another book. There is no ability to create quiet study space for children because the place is so tiny. This is on a minute parcel of land. There is no way we could stay there,” Callen said.

The library is currently housed in the Wason Memorial Building at 2 Central Square, where it has been since 1927. The space is that building is approximately 2,000 square feet, Powell said.

One proposal for a new library building would expand the structure by four times its current size. That conceptual drawing, designed by New Boston architect Roger Dignard, expands the building to 8,060 square feet.

“We were trying to build something that would last us for at least 20 years,” Powell said of the proposed new building.

“It’s certainly such a huge improvement over what we have now,” Powell said. However, she said that drawing is only a proposal and should not be taken as a depiction of what the building may ultimately look like.

An expanded library space will allow for more materials and programs, including a greater number of audio books and enhanced Internet access for patrons, Callen said.

Hiring a consultant for the feasibility study will help trustees gauge the level of financial support they can expect from the community, Callen said.

“This will let us answer the question, how much money can we reasonably raise toward a library?” Callen said.