Kent Memorial Library secures funds for expansion

Kent Memorial Library secures funds for expansion
Leila Hawken

KENT — The Connecticut Bond Commission voted to allocate $2 million in funding to support the renovation and expansion of the Kent Memorial Library at its Oct. 22 meeting.

Libraries have become “critically important infrastructure”, said State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) just before the vote was passed, especially in small towns “where there are fewer places to meet communally.”

“I’m really pleased to see this grant helping one of my little towns,” Horn said, who is a member of the group as co-chair of the Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee.

Library Director Sarah Marshall said the primary motivation behind the expansion plan is “more space for more people.” The new construction will connect the existing library building to the old town firehouse, which sits on the library’s property, and then “renovate everything together to create one big building.”

Marshall said the addition will primarily provide event space, but will also establish quiet workspaces for the town’s growing remote workforce. The new design will also focus on making the building more sustainable.

Marshall is glad that the process, which began with an application to the State Library for a grant in the summer of 2023, is making headway with the approval of the bond allocation.

“We’re hoping – hoping – to break ground late spring,” she said, but acknowledged that several factors could contribute to delays.

“With all the changes ahead, we have no idea what kind of supply chain issues we’re going to face,” she said, noting the possibility of new tariffs on products from abroad.

A lot of the newest HVAC technology comes from foreign manufacturers, she explained, “and we have to be aware of the fact that all of those prices might be about to go up rapidly.”

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less