Bids due for Guilford Memorial Library’s meeting room

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    GUILFORD — When the Guilford Memorial Library expansion was completed in 2003, one of the projects slated for the future was to create a community meeting room in the lower level. According to Library Director Linda Packard, “The future is now.”

    Bids will be opened on Friday, July 26 for construction of the room, which is now being used as a storage area for extra books and furniture.
    Currently, organizations that need a place to meet can use the library, but only when it’s closed to the public. “The room will not only be an asset to the community, but to us,” said Packard. “It will also be an ideal location for private tutoring.”
    The project received a huge boost from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation in April when it was awarded a $25,000 grant for the renovation. “The Kings have always been very supportive of libraries,” Packard said. An anonymous patron who passed away also left a sizeable donation to the library, she added.
    Guilford Memorial Library has also enjoyed widespread community support, said Packard, who has been library director for 22 years. “We raised over $500,000 locally when we expanded in 2003. We have a very active Board of Trustees, and a lot of support from (town manager) Tom Goulette and the Board of Selectmen,” Packard said.
    Because the library staff is getting the basement ready for construction, there won’t be a book sale during Redneck Riverfest this weekend, Packard said. “We want to be ready when the bids come in. Ideally, the room will be finished at the end of October or the first week of November,” she said.
    The construction is not expected to have any effect on the library’s operating hours. Currently, they are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.