Reactions to The Breton Group’s report on the feasibility of waging a successful campaign to build a new Addison Township Public Library were mixed Tuesday night.
“I was a little surprised,” said Clerk Pauline Bennett. “I expected more of a rosy picture.”
Based on the residents she’s spoken with, Bennett said she’s “heard more favorable” comments about the proposed new library than “negative” ones.
Library Board Trustee Jerry Thomas said he “found some things (in the report) troubling” and expressed his concern that the people interviewed by The Breton Group didn’t represent a true cross-section of the community.
Thomas indicated he believes many of Addison’s “naysayers” were interviewed as opposed to young couples with children, whom he said support building a new library.
The trustee disagreed with the Breton report’s finding that Addison lacks a sense of community.
“There’s a heck of a good community spirit here,” Thomas said, citing the newly-formed Friends of the Addison Township Public Library as an example of that.
He said the library support group, which currently boasts 59 members, was formed “out of nowhere” and is comprised of “some of the most dynamic people.”
Thomas agreed with the report’s assessment that the “potential for raising $750,000 (in private donations) is highly doubtful.”
“I never thought that would fly in a million years,” he said.
In spite of the report’s findings, Thomas stated his unwavering commitment toward getting a new library built. “I’m not going to let this die,” he said.
Library Board President Nina Ciccolini said, “Whether or not we agree with the perceptions (presented in the report), they’re out there.”
Ciccolini said one the main purposes of the report was to gather “insight” regarding the proposed library project that board members may not possess because they’re so close to it.
Library Director Michelle Presley said she thought the Breton Group’s report was a “valid report and assessment, telling us we have work to do.”
“We’re gonna work hard and get that new library,” she said. “It will happen.”
Presley said she believes the new library could help Addison residents build a sense of community by giving them a “rallying point.”
She said the new library project can be a “bandwagon” to help unify the community. “We just need a team of horses to pull it,” Presley said.