Capital Campaign

THE LIBRARY & PARK CAMPAIGN

Case Statement

Widely referred to as the “Jewels of Westerly,” the Westerly Public Library and Wilcox Park continue to fulfill the mission of The Memorial and Library Association: “to stimulate the intellect and imagination by providing access to literature, information, nature, and the arts.”

Because of increased demands for services, the Board of Library Trustees is embarking on a capital campaign to raise $7,000,000 for space reallocation in the library and renovations to the park.

The Westerly Public Library

Needs

The Westerly Public Library has had three additions since it was first built in 1894. In 1902 an addition with an art gallery and another book stack room was attached to the rear of the building. The gallery was moved to a larger space in 1928, and a Children’s Room was added. A major addition that doubled the square footage and connected the exteriors of all four buildings in a seamless design was constructed in 1992. In 1994, the addition to the Library building was honored with the RI Historic Preservation Award.

Since the 1992 addition, expectations of library services have expanded to include a full spectrum of public-access computers, as well as a burgeoning collection of books-on-tape, DVDs, compact discs, and large-print books. Public programs, including plays, concerts, lectures, and civic discussions have generated more than 6,000 people each year to the auditorium.

The Westerly Public Library has one of the highest circulation figures in the state. With the number of visitors to the Art Gallery, and attendance at the musical programs in the auditorium, public meetings, First Night activities, and the school’s Westerly Is Learning programs held at the library, the library hosts the greatest number of visitors in the state by far.

A specific look at Westerly Public Library statistics helps to explain the challenges caused by changes in the use of public libraries: In 1994, our circulation was 204,956; in 2007 it was 280.439, an increase of 39%. The number of questions answered by our professional reference staff has increased by 49% from 32,630 in 1994 to 48,704 in 2007.

In our annual report of 1994, the number of people using the public-access computers was not even mentioned, and in 2007 the use was 42,412, or 3,534 people per month.

The recent press coverage of the Sunday afternoon concerts in the library has highlighted the standing-room-only crowds. The increased use of the building for on-line research and public programs has caused some of our interior spaces to bulge at the seams while others are underutilized.

In 1999, the Board appointed an ad hoc Space Study Committee made up of senior staff, trustees, and library users. The charge to the Committee was to develop an “overall plan consistent with our long-range plan, which maximizes the use of our existing space, improves the connection between the old and new building, and considers current safety and security standards as well as the future growth of the Library.” The Committee was chaired by Frank Illuzzi, Facilities Manager and member of the 1992 building committee.

According to Frank, the major goals of the 1992 addition were to add open space and to match the exterior finish. Interior design architects, library specialists, and department managers were not fully involved in planning the use of the new space. As a result, some areas were not fully designed to meet the needs of a multi-faceted library.

Also, many previously acceptable architectural features are no longer compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The open staircase, while eye-catching, is non-compliant, is deemed a fire hazard, frightens many young children. Its removal would increase the usable space by 25% on each floor.

Certain transitional areas between the old and new buildings pose issues of accessibility and need to be redesigned. For example, there are three steps connecting the floors on the second level and lower levels, and that makes it impossible (because of ADA requirements) to expand the program areas to meet increased use.

Also, it is difficult for people in wheelchairs to open the doors at the top of the ramp at the entrance to the library.

Our rare original documents and photographs are currently stored in a below-ground location, making them vulnerable to damage and destruction should a major flood occur. They are also on a floor separate from the oversight of the reference staff.

Children’s services are on the second level and should be relocated to the ground floor for quick exit in case of an emergency. Increased programming for children and teens requires spaces designed for exuberant, sometimes messy, activities separate from what should be quiet areas.

Lack of visibility from public-service desks to the old main entrance, the front staircase, and the old main reading room, as well as the lack of supervision in the lower stacks and the upstairs meeting rooms, pose a security threat. We have three entrances that not only pose security risks, but they are also a source of confusion for visitors. They should be redesigned to create an inviting, user-friendly library.

Project Detail

The Space Study Committee selected the architectural firm of Tappe and Associates whose specialty is library renovation with emphasis on interior design. The architectural issue of American Libraries routinely features their library building projects.

Their conceptual design for interior renovations resolved the major concerns of the Committee.

The Children’s Room will be located at ground level with toddlers and babies in a contained space, where programs can be near exits, and separate from adult traffic. An exit from the Children’s Room will lead to a story garden in Wilcox Park. We envision a secret garden with child-size benches and quite corners for reading on a beautiful summer day.

Staff members at the relocated desks on the first floor will be able to monitor all the entrances. The Old main Reading Room will be restored to its former grandeur.

The second floor will house the reference collection. A new secure, climate-controlled space for our original documents will be created. Using wireless technology, we will create a computer lab to meet the constant demand and also to provide a space for group training sessions. We want that lab to be near the professional reference staff who can guide the students to Internet sites that contain accurate information. Disabled-accessible restrooms will be added near the auditorium.

The third floor will house the collection management department and literacy services, at the same time retaining a public meeting space. For the safety of both the public and staff, every floor will now be monitored by an employee.

A term that the Space Study Committee used often was “the domino effect” because every proposed change impacted the whole building. The final project design makes the best use of available space and crates a user-friendly library that will meet the demands of this very active community.

Wilcox Park

Needs

Warren H. Manning, a protégé of Frederick Law Olmstead and himself a pioneer in landscape architecture, designed Wilcox Park’s original seven acres in 1898. Frank Hamilton designed a large acquisition of land in 1905. Arthur Shurcliff enhanced the park with his 1924 and 1929 designs of upper and lower terraces and with his 1937 War Memorial design. Although the past century has seen some minor changes in the landscape, Manning’s vision for the park is still clearly visible today, and Wilcox Park received a Centennial Medallion award from the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1999.

Over 50,000 people attend park programs in a single year, and walkers, runners and parents with baby strollers visit every day.

From a distance the park retains its beauty, but on closer inspection, deterioration is widely evident. In 2002, John Copley and Associates reviewed the existing conditions of Wilcox Park and made recommendations to repair damaged areas and restore the ambience of the original Manning vision. The stated goal for the award-winning Master Plan was “to maintain the historic integrity of Wilcox Park.”

The tremendous amount of foot traffic has compacted the soil by the pond and in the meadow. There are areas where poor drainage has eroded the soil, resulting in unsightly brown spots in high traffic areas. The drainage problem has also damaged the bluestone paving on Shurcliff’s terraces. The stones have settled and heaved to the point they create a tripping hazard for pedestrians.

The perimeter stone walls that are an essential ingredient of Warren Manning’s original 1898 design, are in need of repair. There are other walls and rustic stone steps within the park that are in need of repair as well. The formal granite steps and balustrade adjacent to Shurcliff’s Terrace have missing mortar in their joints and need new pointing. Water is infiltrating the gaps of the upper terrace and undermining the sand base of that bluestone terrace.

Severe cracking is evident on all the park walks. The black tarmac on some interior walks is not suitable material for a Victorian Strolling Park, nor is it consistent with the other park walks.

Many new trees and shrubs need to be planted to restore Manning’s vision. They will be on a watering program for their first three years. The existing manual irrigation system does not reach all of those areas, and it is only four inches deep in some places, a fact that causes frequent ruptures of the line.

Utilitarian lighting was added in the 1970s without thought for design. The posts are scratched and dented; some of the underground wiring has been disrupted so that electricity no longer reaches the fixtures. These conditions create dark areas that make pedestrians uneasy at night and encourage vandalism.

The fish-pond was man-made in 1907 and is in need of total restoration. The primary water source is a 100-year-old gravity-fed line from an abandoned granite quarry that is almost a mile away. Historically, the fish pond was a favorite place for the community to ice skate and for children to sail toy boats. However, the pond’s concrete apron is crumbling, and the clay liner leaks. The American lotus plant has invaded over 90% of the pond, and the nutrient levels within the water are extremely high.

Project Detail

The maintenance of existing flowers, shrubs and trees, the planned replacement of aging trees, and the introduction of new plantings are important parts of the park’s master plan. Plant lists and placement are based on Manning’s original park plan. A turf-management plan has been developed to improve the state of the lawns that have been damaged because of soil compaction from pedestrian use and poor drainage. A new state-of-the-art automated irrigation system will allow the grass to thrive in the open meadow area where public recreation occurs frequently. The pond can be used as an irrigation reservoir, thereby improving pond water-quality.

The replacement of the cracked and deteriorating park walks will be done using different materials in accordance with the Master Plan. The sidewalks in the main loop designed by Warren Manning will be the widest. Secondary walks that cross through the meadow will be narrower and pigmented darker so that they blend into the landscape when the meadow is viewed from a distance.

The bluestone paving on Shurcliff’s terraces dates back to 1924 and is extremely valuable for its uniqueness. Each piece has been drilled several times and then broken along the drill holes to create the desired dimensions. The stones average three inches in thickness. The will be carefully removed and replaced when the new base material is installed.

The new lampposts have been selected as a result of research on the time period the park was created. Although the park did not originally have lampposts, in the 1930s electric arc lights were installed. In the 1970s, they were replaced with a modern-style lamppost. Now that these are failing, an opportunity exists to replace them with the lamppost style that was used around Westerly at the turn of the century.

The water quality in the pond is very poor due to decades of accumulated sediments and the input of excessive nutrients by more than one hundred ducks. An educational program informing visitors of the consequences of feeding the waterfowl began in the summer of 2003. The mallard population is down to about 30, and pond clarity has improved. However, to prevent the extreme growth of algae and to restore clear water that will support a fish population, recommendations include restoring the concrete edge and replacing the clay liner. Clean groundwater from an improved well near the barn will be pumped into the pond as the old pond water is channeled through the new irrigation system. This exchange will ensure sustained good water quality in the pond, and people will be able to see the fish again.

Wilcox Park is over 100 years old. These renovations are essential to preserve its integrity so that it will continue to be a community gathering place.

To complete the renovations to the Library and the Park, the Board of the Memorial and Library Association of Westerly has retained the services of Fund Consultants to go forward with a capital campaign to raise $4,000,000 from private donations and $3,000,000 from state and federal funds. As many other Rhode Island non-profit libraries have done recently, the Memorial and Library Association of Westerly seeks to raise these funds through a public and private partnership. This combined effort would include federal, state, town, foundation, corporate, and community support. A portion of the project may be matched by money from the state through the Office of Library and Information Services; a federal grant from Save America’s Treasures, and a grant from The Champlin Foundations.