ELLSWORTH — Ellsworth Public Library staff are hoping to make roughly $5 million in renovations to the aging building.
Ellsworth Public Library Director Sarah Lesko said the more than 200-year-old library is starting to show its age with HVAC, air-conditioning and heating issues.
“All of our infrastructure is aging. We have an HVAC system that’s been working on and off the two years that I’ve been here. We had a summer with no air conditioning, and we had a winter with heat in only half of the building,” said Lesko.
In addition to upgrades in these areas, Lesko said the money would be used to improve safety, services and accessibility for library patrons – including an ADA accessible entrance on the building’s main level.
“We’re offering resources that not everyone knows about — services we can connect people with,” said Lesko. “So, we have a lot of potential to make a big impact — but we need the funding, we need the space, we need this to be a functional, accessible space — and that’s what we’re trying to build.”
The library consists of an 1817 building known as the Tisdale House and an addition built in the 1990s.
Lesko said one major issue they face is that their sprinkler system does not cover their entire library.
“We do have the Tisdale house which is a 200-year-old building, and it does not have a sprinkler system in it. For me that’s a big concern, it’s a wood structure and it’s over 200 years old. We need it protected,” said Lesko.
It hasn’t yet been determined how the project will be funded, but Lesko said the library may pursue a fundraising campaign.
“We haven’t started getting into the weeds of funding yet. We know it will have to come from a variety of sources, but it can’t all come from Ellsworth taxpayers,” said Lesko. “So, we’re going to be looking at a possible capital campaign, grant applications and possibly a bond. We’ll be exploring the finance piece as part of this year’s budget season.”
Lesko said budget meetings are slated to begin this month.
According to Lesko, funding for renovations needs to be compiled into one effort because there’s simply too much to do.
“We have been trying to knock one project off the list at a time, and there’s too much, “said Lesko. “We have to roll this into one project or else it will just keep going forever. We’ll conquer one problem a year, and that’s not sustainable.”
Lesko also stressed the importance of preserving the building’s history and assures Ellsworth residents the exterior of the building will not see significant changes.
