MERIDEN — The old Meriden Library is now closed to the public and slated for demolition, though a deal with nearby tavern owners to purchase the brick structure on Bean Road fell through.
“We always knew from the beginning that it was going to be a complicated dance to move a brick building across the street in the fall,” said Amy Lappin, who operates Poor Thom’s Tavern with her husband, Thom, across from the library in Meriden. “We just decided we just couldn’t guarantee it could all happen and didn’t want to hold up the town’s project.”
Originally, the couple was hoping to move the small two-story structure and make it part of their business. In order to make that happen, it had to be moved by mid-October so that the foundation could be poured for a new $1.16 million library where the old one stands.
That timeline was difficult for the Lappins.
“I think the reality is it’s just going to be demoed,” Town Administrator Steve Halleran said. “It would have been ideal to save the Meriden Library and use it for another purpose.”
Meriden residents have long been pushing for a new library. At this year’s Town Meeting in June, voters approved building a new 4,000-square-foot, single-story building. No taxpayer dollars will be required thanks to private fundraising efforts.
The Meriden Library, which was built in 1965, was open for the last time Thursday. Volunteers were boxing up books and breaking down bookshelves to prepare them for movers, who will put them in a storage pod.
“We’ll still have new books coming in, but most of the collection is going to be in storage,” Plainfield Librarian Mary King said. “It’s very bittersweet we are closing the library, but (we’re) excited for a new one.”
King expects construction of the new building to take up to a year. In the meantime, the hours at Philip Read Memorial Library on Route 12A in Plainfield Village will be extended.
“Historically, because we have a library in each village they’re both part-time and there’s always a library open, but this way we’re going to have Philip Read open Monday through Saturday,” King said.
Residents will also be able to stop by town hall at least twice a week for a couple of hours to meet with a library staff member who will have a cart of books and magazines for people to browse.
They can also reserve books and other materials online and pick them up anytime Town Hall is open.
“We do want to make ourselves available for people who need assistance or just library staff help,” King said.
She is exploring the possibility of putting a couple of computers at Town Hall for residents to access.
WiFi will be available outside the current Meriden Library until it is demolished.
Currently, programs for children have been held outdoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic and King is trying to figure out what they will do when the incoming cold weather makes that tough. Returning to Zoom is a possibility. All programs for adults will be virtual.
“Our plan was that we’d probably do some hybrid programs, but given the situation right now our programming is mostly virtual,” King said.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
Correction
The projected cost for the new Meriden Library is $1.16 million. An earlier version of this story reported an incorrect amount.
