Bids sought for
Turner library expansion
By Kathy McCarty
AN ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING of what the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library will look like once its expansion is complete was displayed during a recent meeting of city and Katahdin Trust Company officials. Pictured clockwise from left: Sonja Plummer Morgan, library director; Diane Green, AVP, branch manager, Katahdin Trust Company, Presque Isle office; Joe Clukey, AVP, retail services officer, Katahdin Trust Company, Presque Isle; and City Councilor Calvin Hall.
PRESQUE ISLE — The Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library has been the recipient of several grants and donations over the past few months — the most recent being a $2,500 donation from Katahdin Trust Company.
“Katahdin Trust Company notified me in August that their board had unanimously donated $2,500 to the furnishings budget of the library project,” said Sonja Plummer-Morgan, library director.
BANK DONATION
The Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library was the recipient of a $2,500 check from the Katahdin Trust Company. Funds will be put toward the planned addition. Pictured at the check presentation Sept. 1 were from left: Paul Hamlin, libary board member; Joe Clukey, AVP, retail services officer, Katahdin Trust Company, Presque Isle; City Councilor Calvin Hall; Sonja Plummer Morgan, library director; Diane Green, AVP, branch manager, Katahdin Trust Company, Presque Isle office; and Richard Kimball, library fund-raising chairman.
Plummer-Morgan credited library board members for their efforts in securing funds for the project.
“Thanks is owed to Paul Hamlin and Dick Kimball for their help with contacting this bank and for input on the proposal,” she said.
Bank and city officials were on hand Sept. 1 for a check presentation at the library, including: Plummer-Morgan; Hamlin; Kimball; City Councilor Calvin Hall; Diane Green, AVP, branch manager, Katahdin Trust Company, Presque Isle; and Joe Clukey, AVP, retail services officer, Katahdin Trust Company, Presque Isle.
A $1 million donation earlier this year from Mary Barton Akeley Smith set the project in motion, said Plummer-Morgan.
“We’d been discussing expanding the library for a number of years. Ms. Smith’s generous donation earlier this year set everything in motion. We’re hoping to have the expansion completed by next year,” she said.
Efforts are being made to ensure the library’s carbon footprint will be reduced once the addition is complete.
“We’re working on the carbon footprint and what it will be after the expansion. We would like to reduce it (carbon footprint) through better lighting and heating systems,” said Plummer-Morgan.
Better windows will also help improve energy efficiency, she said.
“Our benefactor wants to make sure the portico provides enough shelter from the wind as well,” said the library director. “We had to change the facade — build to the south.”
Green said libraries are important to communities, especially rural towns and cities like Presque Isle.
“Libraries are vital. We see them moving forward, adapting, as times change and people’s needs evolve,” said Green.
Plummer-Morgan said she sees about 5,000 people use the library each month. In addition to regular library services, she said requests for passport services have increased as well.
“We had 470 passport applications last month,” said Plummer-Morgan. “We do quite a bit more than is typically thought of being done at a library.”
LIBRARY FLOOR PLAN
City and Katahdin Trust Company officials gathered at the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library last week, where floor plans for the proposed addition were reviewed. Present were, from left: Sonja Plummer Morgan, library director; Diane Green, AVP, branch manager, Katahdin Trust Company, Presque Isle office; Joe Clukey, AVP, retail services officer, Katahdin Trust Company, Presque Isle; and City Councilor Calvin Hall.
Plans are moving forward quickly on the proposed addition.
“We have an aggressive schedule. It will go out to bid Sept. 15 and by Oct. 22 we expect to break ground,” she said. “The bid portion is on the Sept. 8 City Council agenda.”
Green said this is exactly the type of project the bank enjoys being a part of.
“We really enjoy doing this — lending our support to local organizations to better serve the community,” said Green.
When completed, the addition will be three stories tall and address a number of ADA issues.
“Many of the improvements will help us meet codes and laws that the current structure doesn’t. We’ll have an elevator, more room around stacks for wheelchair access. Our current stacks — you can’t get a wheelchair in and around,” said Plummer-Morgan.
The new section will also provide more room for specific areas, including a space for teens and additional computers.
“We’ve found there are underserved populations — teens and adults. We’re taking needs into consideration, creating gathering spaces. The library is a cultural center. People bring new technology, such as Kindles, in and we help them learn how to use them,” she said.
Although the addition is smaller than what officials had initially planned — 5,700 square feet, down from 9,800 square feet that was originally planned — modifications have been made, according to Plummer-Morgan, that will make the most cost-effective use of the space.
“It’s actually going to help reduce our heating costs, since a smaller building will require less energy to heat. We have a $49,000 fixture budget — that will have to cover computers, signage, desks, chairs and possibly a security system,” she said.
No additional staff will be needed, despite the larger size.
“It’s being built in such a way, using ‘line of sight.’ We won’t need additional staff, because desks will be situated so employees have a clear view of the various sections,” said Plummer-Morgan, noting the library relies a great deal on volunteer help. “We rely heavily on community volunteers from all walks of life.”
The Turner Memorial Library received the County Federal Credit Union’s ninth ‘Count on the County’ $1,000 award.
The library also received a $25,000 grant from the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, which will be used to support local families gain a critically important skill. The Presque Isle Family Literacy Project (PIFLP) will be funded through this grant, combining existing services provided by the Aroostook County Action Program, Healthy Families Aroostook, Literacy Volunteers of Aroostook County SAD 1 Adult Education, Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library, Northern Maine Community College, Presque Isle CareerCenter and the University of Maine at Presque Isle to meet the literacy needs of families with at least one adult reading at less than a 12th grade level and at least one child between the ages of birth and 4.
Grant funding will also be used to develop a collection of literacy materials at the library. This collection will include age-appropriate materials for new adult readers, English as a second language students, young children and family/shared reading. These items will be available to be checked out or used by all library patrons. The library will also be hosting a free training for literacy volunteers on Tuesday, Sept. 14, and Tuesday, Sept. 21, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the library gallery.
Interested parents and volunteers can learn more about the program by contacting Dianna Leighton or Helen Merriam at 764-2571 or by visiting the library at 39 Second St.
