The Ilsley Public Library, completed in 1924, sits in the center of downtown Middlebury. Though the building was expanded in 1977 and 1988, today, much of it is outdated, inaccessible and inflexible.
The Ilsley 100 Project — named for its 100 year anniversary — is a major renovation and expansion of the public library. The planned renovation will remove the previous additions to the library while preserving the historical 1924 building. It will add a two-story addition on the northeast side of the historical building and include the replacement of critical HVAC, elevator, plumbing, electricity and data ports.
Town residents will vote on a $4.5 municipal bond to fund the expansions and renovations in a special election on May 7.
The construction plan is expected to cost $16,995,000, but only 25% of that cost, or $4.5 million, would come from local residents over the course of 25 years, according to Joe McVeigh, a volunteer member on the library’s Board of Trustees and the chair of the Ilsley 100 Project Team. Most of the project’s funding would come from other sources such as private donors, state and federal grants and an additional 1% sales tax, called a Local Option Tax.
“The property owners who pay taxes in Middlebury will need to pay for only about a quarter of the total amount — and that amount will be stretched out over many years, so the actual tax burden for a typical house will be about $10 a month,” McVeigh wrote in an email to The Campus. “The town, however, is required to ‘bond for’ or otherwise guarantee that the entire amount will be paid in order for the project to proceed. It's a hard concept to explain, because people see the $17 million figure and get scared.”
McVeigh described becoming interested in the library expansion project after learning about a previous effort to expand the library by another group from 2014-2017. As part of their outreach, the Library Building Committee at the time held tours of the library building. McVeigh took a tour and became interested in potential renovations and the public discourse on the topic.
“Since I moved to Middlebury in 1998, there have been quite a large number of public works projects,” McVeigh told The Campus. “We have new town offices, we have new recreation facilities, we have a new police station, we’ve repaired and renovated our fire station, we have a new bridge, and we’ve done nothing for the library.”
The current project team has made an effort to work closely with the Middlebury Selectboard, keeping them fully informed on planning progress and making sure the project has the board’s approval.
The team has also worked to include local residents’ ideas and preferences for the new library.
“We have tried at every step of the way to engage the public,” McVeigh said. “To keep them fully informed and part of the decision making process.”
There were several options for updating the library, McVeigh explained. One potential plan was to tear down the current library and build an entirely new library in a different location. Another plan aimed to update the current library. The project team found that residents felt strongly about keeping the library downtown in its original 1924 location.
The project team held public meetings to engage with town residents about the renovation. After getting the go-ahead from the Selectboard, the project team solicited designs from three architects and design firms to create designs for the potential library renovations. These plans were reviewed by library trustees, staff and a group of architects, before being discussed at a public meeting at the Town Hall Theater with around 200 attendees. If the town votes in favor of the renovation, the plans will be completed by Wiemann Lamphere Architects and the ReArch company.
The team gathered further input on the project at numerous other town hall meetings held at the library and local retirement homes, as well as focus groups with teenagers and children and conversations with the Middlebury Elementary School Association.
“One young person thought the new library should have a secret passage,” McVeigh said. Another suggested the new library have a tower.
He also noted that the project team believes that with the funding structure, the citizens of Middlebury will get a true bargain. “Essentially they’re getting offered a 17 million dollar building for which they’ll have to pay 4.5,” he explained.
McVeigh said it is important to communicate to residents that they will not be shouldering the nearly $17 million cost alone.
“It’s difficult because the language of the vote starts with the total number,” McVeigh said. “A lot of what we’re trying to do is educate the public that yes, the library is going to cost this, but you’re not going to have to pay that.”
Some of the cost of the project will be covered through federal energy rebates because the new library will use geothermal energy, according to Dana Hart, the library director. The library also hopes to win grant money from the Vermont Department of Libraries and other state and federal grants. While these grants are competitive, Hart expressed confidence that the desired $2 million from grants can be achieved.
The project team also aims to raise $6 million through donations, and has already raised $3.5 million in pledged donations to the project.
Library users mostly include students from the Addison County School District, local daycares, young parents and families, and older community members who come to the library to use magazine subscriptions, among other resources.
Children of many faculty and staff at the college frequent the library, according to McVeigh. He added that the library employs several students from the college through its work-study program, and provides an alternative study space for any college students who want a change of scenery.
Beyond books, the library carries a large collection of puzzles, has free wifi, many newspaper subscriptions and ukuleles that can be rented. This is in addition to, of course, many books.
The renovated library will also include various new community spaces.
“We will get a new conference room and a new library activities room, which will mostly be used by children, as well as a new space for middle school and high school students and a new roof garden,” said Hart.
Beyond just adding new spaces, the renovated library intends to use its existing spaces more effectively.
“There are other benefits that don’t necessarily have to do with the amount of space, but how space is configured,” said Hart. “Entrances will be much more accessible and welcoming, the elevator will be much more accessible. The library will be safer and have better sight lines. Spaces will be laid out in ways that are more flexible.”
During the anticipated 56 weeks of construction, The National Bank of Middlebury has offered to host the library in its building.
The vote on the library’s expansion will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 7 at 77 Main Street, located in the town offices next to the library. All local residents, as well as any college students registered to vote in Middlebury, are able to participate in the election.
“The library is for everyone, and we get everyone,” said Hart. “It’s one of the most diverse areas in Middlebury.”
Julia Pepper '24 (she/her) is the Senior Local Editor.
She previously served as a Local Editor. She is a Psychology major and French minor. This past spring she studied in Paris. She spent the summer interning at home in New York City, putting her journalistic cold calling skills to use at her internship doing outreach with senior citizens. In her free time she enjoys reading and petting cats.
