Ilsley in the Press: Ilsley Library has a plan: Renovate, expand on site
John Flowers
Addison Independent
February 23, 2023
The Middlebury selectboard has unanimously decided that the Ilsley Library should be expanded and renovated at its current location at 75 Main St., a project roughly estimated at $14.8 million.
Renovation/expansion was one of four options the Ilsley Library 100 Project Team had been reviewing to correct deficiencies plaguing the Ilsley’s historic, 99-year-old building.
As previously reported by the Independent, Ilsley officials contend the current building affords inadequate and poorly configured space that isn’t meeting the community’s service expectations. It has low ceilings and support columns; has a poorly lit and under-sized children’s area that suffers from ground water leaks, mold and a broken wastewater system that causes offensive odors; needs better amenities for teens and ‘tweens; and has areas and resources that aren’t accessible to some folks who are physically challenged.