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Deborah Ronson Memorial Library delays bond plan, focuses on fundraising and scaled design
Summary
Library director Abby Heimlich told the board the Deborah Ronson Memorial Library will scale back its expansion design, delay a proposed 2027 bond and concentrate on donor cultivation after community feedback and a CPGE feasibility study; trustees will form a fundraising committee and continue outreach.
Abby Heimlich, newly appointed director of the Deborah Ronson Memorial Library, gave the Select Board an update on the library’s expansion planning and financing strategy.
Heimlich said community meetings and a CPGE feasibility study—based on interviews with about 20 local residents and business leaders—showed the current design and timeline would require more donor work than anticipated. "That's just not going to work," she said of the original bond timetable; the library will scale back the plans and pursue a fundraising strategy aimed at reducing borrowing needs and avoiding an immediate bond vote.
Trustees plan to form an expansion fundraising committee and continue community outreach. Heimlich invited residents who want to volunteer to email director@drml.org or expansiondrml.org and said the trustees will coordinate with town leadership and other local libraries to avoid competing for the same donor dollars.
The Select Board thanked Heimlich for the update and offered to help publicize volunteer opportunities and funding questions as the library refines scope and schedule.
