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Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER PAGES 4-5
SEPTEMBER 5, 2024
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Checking out the library’s planned expansion Entrance and parking to move north of building, facing WCS, plans show BY JASON STARR Observer staff An expanded Dorothy Alling Memorial Library means a shrunken Williston Town Green. But volunteers working with a local architect on remodeling the library have broadened the scope of the project to incorporate improvements to what is Williston Village’s primary community space. “It’s a very important place in Williston so we’re trying to be sensitive to how much of that green won’t exist for public use anymore and how we might be able to enhance the use of what’s left,” said John Hemmelgarn, an architect with Black River Design and longtime Williston resident who is designing the library expansion for the town. “We’re looking to create some more engaging spaces on the green, even though we know there will be less space there.” A portion of the green will be chewed up by the planned expansion of the library, construction that will add a two-story addition to the north side of the building, according to preliminary plans. Another chunk of green space will be paved to create a 20-space parking lot. The parking and front entrance will move to the two-story addition side, facing Williston Central School. The latest architectural plans are set to be reviewed by the Library Board of Trustees at a Sept. 16 meeting and by the Williston Selectboard the following evening, Sept. 17, at Town Hall. Karla Karstens, a library trustee who is working with Hem-
The parking and main entrance to the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library will move to the north side of the building facing WCS under expansion plans being considered by the library trustees. Plans also include improvements to the Town Green, where a gazebo provides event space. OBSERVER FILE PHOTOS
melgarn on the design, updated the trustees at an August meeting. “We are making some exciting progress,” she said. “It’s not just expanding the library, it’s re-envisioning the green, making it a vibrant area.” The Town Green is the site of July Fourth festivities, town band concerts, library events and an annual town fair. In addition to the library, it is home to a gazebo, historic schoolhouse and a statue of Vermont’s first governor, Thomas Chittenden. Some enhancements under consideration include new paths and seating areas. “There are a lot of things there that can be improved,” Hemmelgarn said, noting that some of the trees on the green will be removed. The library’s interior will also be redesigned with the added floor space. Library Director Jane Kearns said she has so far seen three versions of potential floor plans; they all include a larger lobby at the new main entrance. The town already put federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds into an initial feasibility study of the project, and administrators are now considering how to fund the multi-million dollar construction. A vote of residents, as soon as Town Meeting Day 2025, on borrowing funds is one likely strategy. The town is also working with Burlington consultant CPG Fundraising on studying whether and how to launch a fundraising campaign focusing on major philanthropists. “Having the scope opened up to the green might engage a different donor base,” Town Manager Erik Wells told the library trustees at their Aug. 19 meeting. He expects to have a refined cost estimate by the end of the year.
Library director to step down in December BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Jane Kearns
Jane Kearns, the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library’s director for the past five years, has announced her retirement at the end of December. Kearns, 65, started in November, 2019, and a few months later was forced into wholesale operational changes brought on by the pandemic. Library staff learned how to conduct programs online, hold virtual staff meetings and circulate materials via drop-offs in the lobby.
She leaves with the library on the cusp of a major expansion (see related story, above), having helped guide designs for the layout of a planned two-story addition to the building. She also helped the Library Board of Trustees formulate a new strategic plan, which is expected to be finalized in November. “The time felt right. It felt like the end of a few milestones in these long processes,” she said. Town Manager Erik Wells plans to begin advertising for a new director next week and work with the library trustees to make a selection for a new
director to start in early 2025. “I want to congratulate Jane on her retirement and thank her for her five years of dedicated service as director of the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library,” Wells said. “Jane saw the library through the challenges of Covid-19 and has been instrumental in the planning for the future of the space and overall strategic planning. Jane leads by empowering her staff to be their best. She has made a lasting impact on our Williston community.” A native of Montreal, Kearns has lived in the U.S. since 1993. She cur-
rently resides in Charlotte and has no immediate plans to leave the area. Her husband has been retired for six years. “They say don’t do anything for a year, so I think that’s what we’ll do,” she said. “We love Vermont so we’ll probably just stay put for a while.” Kearns came to the job with a background in academic libraries. It was her first time working in a public library. She expressed gratitude for the support of the trustees, patrons, staff and volunteers. “It’s bittersweet leaving,” she said. “It has been really interesting and fun.”
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