By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — Many of the improvements remain hidden to the eye.

One cannot see the 18 inches of foam insulation or the replaced baffles between the ceiling and the roof.

However, the patrons of the Casco Public Library have been commenting that they like the new lighting that was installed.

“Everybody thinks we got brand new lighting, but we didn’t,” according to Head Librarian Michelle Brenner. “We already converted all our old fluorescent bulbs to LED lights during an Efficiency Maine rebate, and that was about five years ago. The fact that the ceiling is freshly painted makes the lighting pop out. Everyone says, ‘Wow you got new lights.’ People did remark on the nice bright ceiling. That is the only thing you can see. Taking out older insulation and putting in new — you can’t see that.”

“It IS more energy efficient,” Brenner said. “We invite people to stop in and see how nice it looks, and how warm it feels.”

In late January, residents at Casco Special Town Meeting approved the use of $125,000 for the library upgrades that had been identified. That is approximately half of the cost for needed repairs. Grants covered a lot of the expenses, Brenner said, including the work which improved the energy efficiency of the library.

“One of the grants was specifically for insulation work. That was the Association of Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) Sustainable and Resilient New England Libraries Grant,” she said.

The construction on the three oldest rooms took place from Feb. 6 through Feb. 23. Those rooms are: the Fireplace Room that was established in 1952, the Far Room that was added in 1957 and the Adult Fiction room, which became part of the library in 1962. 

“The three oldest rooms have been done. For one week the library was closed. There were three total weeks construction, and then we were able to start moving things back,” she said. “We were closed for just one week. There were two more weeks that these three rooms were not accessible but we moved out the books to offer people choices.”

Brenner explained the logic behind being closed for one week.

“The construction would be messy, and the ceilings were open so it would be cold. It is typically the coldest week of the year, but we lucked out it, and it was cold the week before,” she said. “We didn’t want to be closed for the entire construction project because the Children’s Room is available. It was not included in the construction area.”

Brenner explained why the upgrades had become necessary, if not dire.

“The library’s 6,000 square foot structure was built over the course of 50 years with six rooms being added at different times. From the outside, it looks like a typical mid twentieth century village building; and on the inside, it a welcoming comfortable light-filled space,” she said. “However, the incremental addition of the four oldest rooms has resulted in air infiltration pockets, non-contiguous and inadequate attic insulation, and moisture issues in the crawl spaces and other areas.”

Also these infrastructure upgrades will allow the library to continue to hold its free, relevant programs for the public and provide a safe gathering space to do these programs. Another plus is the ability to be a daytime warming-cooling center for citizens when the temperatures are extreme.

The recent improvements have bettered the integrity of the buildings and have resulted in less heat loss, she said. That means the heat pumps are not operating only to send heat outdoors. (A Stephen and Tabitha King grant helped with the heat pump installation about five years ago, Brenner said.)

“It is nice to have the ball rolling, to have some visible improvements,” she said.

“We have identified projects to undertake in the next 12 to 18 months, starting in February,” she said. “Next [on the repair list] is the vestibule, the old entry way closest to Meadow Road. We are still trying to identify the source of a leak. Also, the fourth oldest room that we will be addressing at some point, we still need to have a revaluation done,” she said.

“When we finish the building repairs, we eventually want the generator and the solar panels — those are the big, long-range goals after we get things squared up with the building,” she said.

The town money will help with the most pressing improvements, and that was greatly appreciated, Brenner said. But that is not the only source of funding to finish the projects, she said.

“The library has a multi-pronged plan to raise these needed funds. To do, we have commitment totaling $45,500. We have also identified five other grant opportunities that we will be pursuing in 2023,” she said.  

She compared the library to an old house: it needs to be maintained to have longevity.

“People really do like the ambiance of the place. It feels like a house. We are trying to make sure we can maintain the building because people really do enjoy the ambiance and the feel of it,” she said.