The rainy weather on Saturday did not deter folks from celebrating a project three years in the making.
After remarks from key project participants, the gathered attendants watched the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Marguerite K. Repass Garden and Library Entrance Improvement Project at the Elizabeth Taber Library.
Inside the library, President of the Library Trustees Jay Pateakos remarked to those attending that this project was a combination of a public and private effort. He noted that, for him, this project was personal, having struggled for years with handicapped accessibility for his son who is in a wheelchair and was in attendance nearby.
Library Director Libby O’Neil expressed her excitement and gratitude for the “generous donation and vision for this special gathering place,” thanking Peggy Repass, former Taber librarian, and her family for their donation to the project.
O’Neill added that the new entrance will be easier for people to access, and with its stone benches, will provide a gathering place for “a multitude of outdoor activities such a kids’ crafts, outdoor book clubs and reading,” as O’Neill described it.
Robert Raymond, also a library trustee, architect, and liaison for the project, noted that the impetus for the entrance improvement started with the installation of automatic doors.
Pateakos pointed out that the library might need to be closed for a short period of time during construction.
Selectman Steve Gonsalves said the only word to express the feeling of the day was “love.” He also read a quote by Albert Einstein to underscore the value of the library and the project – “The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.”
The afternoon concluded with a symbolic groundbreaking with Mrs. Repass, O’Neil, and Selectmen Gonsalves and Norm Hills posing with hardhats and shovels to commemorate the beginning of the project. Trustee Raymond stated that the family will be managing the project and is currently seeking contractors to perform the work.
By Sarah French Storer
