By Quinn O’Hara
On the morning of March 13, members of the Wakefield Library Board, Wakefield Mayor Chryssovergis, and three Wakefield schoolchildren broke ground on an expansion for the Wakefield Library.
The Wakefield Library was constructed in the late 1930s as a WPA project. In the years since, the building has been renovated but never expanded upon, something the Wakefield Library Board say has been needed for many years.
The expansion will be funded by donations from Wakefield’s first librarian, Fern Normandin, and loyal patron Sara Fyfe. One of the shovels used in the ceremony had a yellow ribbon tied to its handle in memory of past librarian Rita Bradden and former board member and avid patron June Laha. The ceremony also employed the help of Wakefield schoolchildren Penelope Lastrap, Jayden Striggow, and Joselyn Thurlow to represent the youth who actively use the library and its resources.
The addition will be attached to the current building via a breezeway, and will have 21 new bookshelves, a kitchenette, and more. The Library Board said the expansion will also allow for more space to hold programs such as their canning classes and monthly reading times with the Wakefield School. Board Members noted that previous library programs have had to be held away from the library due to the lack of space in the current building.
The Director of the Wakefield Library, Kimberly Orr, said she and the rest of the Library Board are excited for the construction to begin.
The project is expected to be fully finished by September 11, 2024.
