East Providence Council takes Fuller Library off the market

Posted 4/30/15

EAST PROVIDENCE — The City Council at a recent meeting formally removed the Anne Ide Fuller Library off the list of city-owned buildings for sale, allowing for a proposal to transform the dormant branch into a community learning center under the …

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East Providence Council takes Fuller Library off the market

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — The City Council at a recent meeting formally removed the Anne Ide Fuller Library off the list of city-owned buildings for sale, allowing for a proposal to transform the dormant branch into a community learning center under the auspices of the Library Department.

Director of Library Services Eileen Socha made a presentation before the Council at its April 7 meeting recommending the branch located on Dover Avenue be turned into a Creative Learning Center. At the body's April 21 meeting, it voted to take the 31,400 square foot lot off the market. The existing structure, built in 1955, measures 2,538 square feet with roughly 20 parking spots.

"We're thrilled. We're so excited," Ms. Socha said following the Council vote." We didn't invent this program. It's happening all over the country, so we're just excited to have it happening here."

Ms. Socha's PowerPoint presentation proposed transforming Fuller, closed by the Budget Commission in 2012, into "a community-operated structure where people with common interests, often in computers, technology, science, digital art or electronic art, can meet, socialize and/or collaborate."

Some of the potential programs to be offered include: a community garden, culinary classes; seminars and lectures; digital literacy classes; and STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). Similar programs are being run regionally in North Easton and Westport, Mass.

The director requested a $100,000 increase to the library budget in Fiscal Year 2015-16: part time salary for professional position $25,000; Utilities, heat/ air, electricity, alarm, water at $7,500; High speed internet, installation and fees at $5,000; and Interior Cosmetic Upgrade at $62,500.

"We're going to work with the city to see what they can do in regards to removing the shelving, the service desk and ripping up the carpet," Ms. Socha said. "Ideally it would be nice to be up and running by September, but that's probably a bit ambitious. We're definitely going to be open in Fiscal Year 15-16. We're really hoping we can be ready sometime in late 2015."

Ms. Socha said following her presentation and then the vote of the Council a number of residents expressed their interest in volunteering time and proposed ideas for potential programs.

"We were hoping we would get some good community support. We're very happy they want to be involved because the goal of this project is to help the community," she said.

Plans are already set to help jump start the project. A "community clean-up day" is scheduled for Saturday, May 30. Library personnel and volunteers will work in and around the building. Ms. Socha said she's hopeful the city will do most of the landscaping, cutting grass and trimming bushes.

Fuller Library, learning center

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