Addison Public Library reopens after multi-year renovation; Sam's Lab maker space dedicated

Mary Majena, director of the Addison Public Library, opened the dedication by framing the renovation as a people-centered effort, not simply a construction project. "This project was never about bricks and mortar. It's not about furniture or paint. It's about the people," Majena said, inviting residents to tour three floors of new space and participate in an opening-day passport and prize drawings.

The library board and community partners joined Majena for the ceremony. Christopher Pedellic, president of the board of trustees, thanked architects and contractors and highlighted a $100,000 gift from the family of Sam Gunda that funded the library's new maker space, Sam's Lab. Pedellic said the gift helped create a creative lab that "surpasses those found at any library in our area," and organizers scheduled a ribbon-cutting for that space.

Family members and local officials paid tribute to Gunda's community role. Mayor Tom Hundley recalled Gunda's volunteer work and enthusiasm for technology, saying the mayor believed the maker space would have made him "so excited." Endura Salotti, speaking for Gunda's family, described her father as someone who "made people feel" and said the lab reflects his belief that "knowledge, technology, and opportunity should be made available to everyone." The program included a short video highlighting Gunda's life in Addison.

Organizers and staff used the on-stage walkthrough to explain how the renovated building is organized. Brooke Severs, assistant director, said moving the main stair to the front created clearer social and quiet zones, improved traffic flow and made the building more accessible to parents with strollers. Severs described a returning café — "Parks and Possibilities" — operated by district 88 transition students, and a new drive-up pickup window tied to the library's automated materials handler for 24/7 returns.

Sam's Lab staff demonstrated the lab's expanded equipment and training model. Sarah Vanderhayden, a member of Sam's Lab staff, listed new tools including a white-toner printer for transfers, vinyl cutters, heat presses, an embroidery machine, a CNC router and a laser cutter/engraver. "The CNC is kind of like a mini manufacturing machine," Vanderhayden said, describing its ability to cut wood, metal and printed‑circuit materials. Lab staff said training sessions and first-time onboarding are required for many machines; patrons generally pay only for consumable materials such as transfer sheets or embroidery thread.

The renovation also refreshed teen and adult spaces, study rooms and the boardroom, and added a digital media lab with a recording booth and digitization equipment for VHS and CDs. Severs said the project aimed to group collections and technology to reduce circulation time and create dedicated quiet study zones.

On financing, Majena and Severs said the board approved a project budget "not to exceed $12.3 million," to be paid from the library's capital improvement fund, which the board began building in 2008. Speakers said they expected to stay under that cap and that no referendum was required; apart from the Gunda family's donation, the speakers said the renovation was financed locally rather than with state or federal grants.

The dedication concluded with demonstrations in Sam's Lab and an invitation for residents to explore the new spaces. "I'm Dory Kggy for Addison Community Television," the host said in closing. The library encouraged visitors to examine the dedication plaque in the vestibule and to attend the scheduled ribbon-cutting for Sam's Lab.