The following press release was submitted by the Library Trustees:

Last November, Town Meeting members voted resoundingly (378-49) to approve funding for a Planning and Design Study which will enable the Board of Library Trustees to explore the possibility of expanding and renovating the current library building or constructing a new library on another site in the town. The study will make Wayland eligible to apply for a State construction grant which could pay as much as 45% of the building costs of a qualified project.

The application process requires the Board of Library Trustees to investigate at least two sites as part of the study. The current site on 5 Concord Road as well as another parcel in the town will be included in the study. As a result, the Trustees are sponsoring three articles for consideration at spring Town Meeting that are essential steps in the completion of the project.

Articles 17 and 18 will allow the study’s architect to investigate the former DPW site with the adjoining lot on the other side of the Middle School driveway or to investigate 202 Old Connecticut Path as the possible second site for a new library building.

Article 19 will allow the library building to be connected to the municipal wastewater system and the removal of the septic system located on the north end of the lot at 5 Concord Road. This will expand what is considered “buildable land” at the current library site and give the architect the most flexibility in the investigation.

Support for Articles 17, 18, and 19 will ensure that the exploration of options to expand our current building or build a new library stays on track and that Wayland is eligible to apply for a State library construction grant next year.

The Board of Library Trustees encourages residents to attend Town Meeting beginning Thursday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. and to vote YES on Article 17, 18, and 19.