KENT—The Kent Memorial Library, 32 North Main St., has launched a new effort to raise money for its upcoming expansion. Residents can buy a commemorative brick or paver to honor a loved one or to celebrate their association with the library.
A 12-by-12 paver, priced at $1,000, can carry eight lines of custom engraving, with 20 letters and spaces on each line. At $500, an 8-by-8-inch paver will hold six lines, 20 letters and spaces to a line, and a $250 gift will buy a 4-by-8-inch brick with three lines of 20 letters and spaces. Payments can be made online.
The pavers and bricks will be permanently installed along new walkways and in prominent sitting areas around the library lawn.
The library is in the final stages of preparing for a $6.3-million expansion project that will reconfigure the interior of the existing building and create a new entrance with an information and circulation center, a pathway to the children’s library and a connection to the renovated firehouse.
The former firehouse, which has been used for storage, will be remodeled to provide book stacks and a large assembly hall on the second floor. The remaining new areas include two small meeting rooms; a young adult room; an expanded information technology and circulation services area; a full disability access entranceway, restrooms and elevator to the assembly room.
The current library has approximately 6,450 square feet of space accessible to the public, staff working areas and storage. The building renovation and new construction will add approximately 5,300 square feet for public use and staff.
The project is being funded by a combination of private donations and grants from state government and private foundations. The library received a $2 million grant from the Connecticut State Library.
