Renovation of West Concord's Fowler Library nearly finished

Courtesy of Paul Mahoney

By Sarah Thomas, Town Correspondent

While branch libraries are an endangered species in many towns, the Fowler Library in West Concord will be completely renovated within months.

The renovation will add a new children’s room and meeting space, and a downstairs nonfiction area and storage for the town’s historic records. Fund-raising for the $3.5 million project is almost complete, with library officials hoping to raise the final $100,000 after the library opens sometime later this spring.

It’s a proud moment for Fowler librarian Sharon McCarrell, but one she says is characteristic of a community that has always privately supported its libraries.

"West Concord is having a moment right now, where it’s really becoming a charming village in its own right, and we’re re-envisioning what we want our community to look like," McCarrell said. "This building will be one of the cornerstones of this historic area."

Since last year, McCarrell and Fowler’s other librarians have been working out of the Fowler Express, a small room tucked in the basement of the Wheeler building, which houses Concord’s Council on Aging. It contains shelves stacked with mystery and teen novels, new DVDs, and a single rocking chair with an ivy leaf-patterned cushion. And it sometimes overflows with patrons picking up books.

Fund-raising for the renovation began in January 2008, right before the economic downturn. But the challenging financial climate presented an opportunity.

"We realized we could get more bang for our construction dollars if we renovated now rather than in a few years," McCarrell said. "It accelerated everything."

Sue Gladstone, development director for the Concord Free Public Library, said that $375,000 came from Community Preservation Act funds, which are a combination of state and town money. The rest came from private donors.

"We had a major renovation of the central Concord library in 2005, and were able to tap a lot of our old donors, plus a lot of new people from West Concord and other places as well," Gladstone said. "We’re confident we will be able to raise the last of the money once we are open and people see this beautiful building."

One way people excited about the library can get involved is by purchasing and decoratingthe building’s original roof slates, a spin on a popular project during the 1995 renovation that invited the community to decorate the library’s original chairs. Slates cost $50, and more information on the project is available on the library’s website.

In the meantime, McCarrell will keep serving the community from her little room.

"I know nearly everyone who comes in," McCarrell said. "The people here are very loyal, and they come in regularly. They’d rather come here than the main library, because this belongs to the community."

One such patron, Samantha Baker, lives and works less than half a mile away. She comes in a few times a week to take out books and other items.

"I work as a massage therapist and come in on my breaks," Baker said. "It’s very convenient, but I am really excited for the building to reopen."

Sarah Thomas can be reached at sarah.m.thomas@gmail.com.