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East Haddam trustees outline plans for a new, accessible library after finding two branches noncompliant
Summary
Trustees reviewed exploratory-committee work and accessibility findings, named officers for the committee and described outreach plans and budgeting steps toward a replacement library that meets ADA standards.
The East Haddam Library Board heard a detailed update on plans for a new library and next steps to address longstanding accessibility problems.
At the meeting, the library director reported that the new Library Exploratory Committee has held two meetings and named Maureen Sullivan chair, Laurel secretary and Shea vice chair. "There are 237 public libraries in the state and 2 of the only 3 are not ADA compliant and 2 of them are in East Haddam and the other 1 is in Chester," the director said, urging the board to prioritize an accessible design.
The director and committee members said the project will rely on broad community engagement — public focus groups, comment boards, drop-in listening sessions, and targeted outreach to schools and other groups — to gather input on location, design and services. Committee members emphasized preserving the character of the town’s existing libraries while correcting barriers such as stairs and circulation that limit access for some patrons.
Trustees were told the exploratory work is progressing within the library’s approved budget and that the library’s next fiscal year begins July 1. The director also highlighted a recent Connecticut Land Conservation Council award recognizing a collaboration between the library and the East Haddam Land Trust that built public programming, saying that partnership strengthens the library’s public profile as it pursues the building project.
Committee members described an initial timeline and a plan to return to the full board with more detailed cost estimates, community-feedback summaries and a schedule for any town-wide approvals. They stressed that public meetings and all committee sessions will be accessible and that outreach will be paced to avoid overwhelming residents.
The board did not take a formal vote on a construction plan; members instructed the exploratory committee to continue community engagement and to report back with refined recommendations and budget figures.
