Except for a pile of bricks sitting behind the library and a few outside projects, the major components of the capital project to restore, expand and update the Edith B. Ford Memorial Library in Ovid are complete.
The project got board approval in late 2006 and began fundraising in the summer of 2007, said Barbara Gerlach, treasurer of the library’s board of trustees.
“It’s totally amazing what’s gotten done in two years, we wouldn’t have believed it ourselves,” she said.
Changes included rearranging the library’s main floor, putting the basement back into use and improving technology. The parking lot was also expanded and the lighting was changed to be more energy efficient.
“It was time to update this library, nothing had been done since it was built in 1961,” said Eilene Moeri, library director.
The biggest change was renovating the basement for current use. The basement was completed in February as part of the project’s first phase and now houses the non-fiction section, a child’s play area, a genealogy room and a meeting area. In recent years the basement was turned into storage because it did not have an emergency exit or handicap accessibility.
“It was a superb library for 1961 and they used the basement until the laws changed,” Gerlach said.
The library was given more wall space to cover with books after two doors facing Main Street were removed. David Griffith, library trustee, said the library had enough doors to meet building code requirements without the old doors and the solid wall provides more insulation from outside elements.
“They never got used hardly but they leaked a lot of air,” he said.
Because of the added space upstairs, sections were given more room to expand and a reading area with two plush chairs were added. The biggest hit has been the divided youth and young adult sections.
“We very much expanded out young adult section and we have more programming for the young adults and we’ll have more in the summer,” Moeri said. “The young adults really like having their own area and their own computers.”
In total the library bought four new computers and has held public sessions to teach community members how to use them. Moeri said the library is planning more public teaching sessions on different topics in the future.
The total cost projection for the project was $300,000 and Gerlach said the library passed that mark through grants and fundraising. Sally Limoncelli, president of the board of trustees, said the board wasn’t sure how well the project would go when the process began.
“In the beginning we were wondering if we could make $80,000 and we went way past that,” she said.
Limoncelli said there are still “little odds and ends” to do inside but most of the work is outside projects. The parking lot has already been expanded but the library is waiting for nicer weather to put in an outside reading area. Moeri said it would be somewhat like an amphitheater and be used for programs during the summer.
The library has already added special programs using the basement meeting space. Moeri hopes teen nights will be a regular occurrence and Limoncelli said the book club and knitting will be able to expand.
“[The book club's] been going on for the past four or five years but now we can meet downstairs,” she said.
The community has responded positively to the changes and Moeri said more people are beginning to stop by. The capital project also made it easier for people to volunteer and has attracted those interested in helping, Limoncelli said.
“Our big job now is to let people know we’re here, we’re open, what do you want for programs,” she said.
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