WELLS — Ground has been broken for the new 3,400-square-foot expansion to the Wells Public Library and it marks a significant commitment to improve services available to the community.  

Volunteers, donors and town officials gathered at the libarary for a special groundbreaking ceremony last week and the project is the culmination of years of work to get to this point for the expansion.

“The Town of Wells is awesome. For a town just north of 10,000 people to raise over $1.1 million dollars for their library really goes to show what they think of the library and what they think of the community they live in,” said Devin Burritt, Wells Public Library director. “My staff and I thank you; we look forward to this expansion so we can all serve you better.”

The Wells Public Library can trace its origins to when the town acquired land for the library from the Wells School District in the 1970s, leading to construction of a library building using Economic Development Assistance funding.

A state work bond was used in 1992 to contruct an 11,000-square-foot library structure at 1434 Post Roads that is still in use today.

The new expansion project was made possible thanks to the gift of an additional 1.8 acres given to the library by the Wells Ogunquit Community School District under the leadership of Schools Superintendent Jim Daly.

At the groundbreaking event, Wells Library Board of Trustees chairperson Amy Anderson, discussed all the hard work and dedication of so many people to make the expansion project become a reality.

She said that in 2008 the libary board chairperson Dr. Patricia Prendergast hired a consultant to complete a study launching a process to renovate the current structure and a possibly add on to the library.

Although the library’s Board of Trustees original proposal was rejected by town voters, a second revised proposal was accepted a couple of years later, Anderson said.

“In 2013, consultant Sandy MItchell was hired to assist the Board in developing a plan to solicit donations by forming a dynamic leadership committee and teaching us how to approach donors and develop policies,” she said.

Anderson said that by 2015, the Wells Public Library Foundation, Board of Trustees, and Friends of the Library had raised $761,000, a substantial amount, but shy of the $1.5 million dollars they had hoped to raise for the expansion.

“In 2016 a miracle happened,” Anderson said. “A donation of $500,000 was made by the Hall Family Foundation that gave the library the funds it needed to move forward with the expansion.”

Jon Carter, Wells Town Manager, said that entire project is the result of a collaborative effort of many individuals.

“What made this possible again is the community coming together raising the funds and the Hall Family Foundation matching those funds and making this a reality,” Carter said.

With the groundbreaking, a bulldozer has begun clearing land for the expansion and a construction area has been fenced off for the project.

The expansion construction is expected to be completed in six months and during that time, the library will operate as usual with its schedule of activities available for children and adults.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com