There are many priorities at every town meeting. Maybe the fire department needs a new truck, or the school’s roof has a leak. For decades in Mont Vernon, a new library was on the docket.
An original committee was formed in 1986 to bring a new library to the small southern New Hampshire community nestled along Route 13. The Daland Memorial Library opened in February. The new farmhouse-style building now sits on Lilac Lane, just off the main drag.
Cindy Raspiller, chair of both the Mont Vernon Library Trustees and Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation, said to get to the grand opening, it was years of trying to convince the community it was worth it.
“In small town New Hampshire, everything is funded by property taxes. It takes a long time to get any capital project over the goal line. In most small towns, 40 years might be a little longer than average, I'm not sure,” Raspiller said.
She said it took many one-on-one talks, chats in kitchens, and countless fundraisers to cobble together their share of money to build the new library. The old library barely had room for children’s programming, and without a restaurant or coffee shop in town, a larger facility would be the community space many people were looking for.
To secure the final $2 million of funding for the project, they needed 60% of voters at town meeting to put their faith in the effort. But $2 million, and the prospect of raising property taxes, are a lot to consider for a small town like Mont Vernon.
“Sixty percent of the vote on anything is a big challenge. So [it was difficult] to be able to get people to come to town meeting and to do it. That night was so fun because there was so much excitement,” Raspiller said.
The vote in favor of the funding was nearly 62%. But in a town the size of Mont Vernon, that means it passed by just nine votes. However, Raspiller said some people who voted against the project have shown up since the opening and say they now believe it was worth it.
The new Daland Memorial Library has soaring, double-height ceilings. There’s an area for a book club, a kitchen and large meeting room, a free coffee bar for patrons, and a carefully curated space just for teens.
Library director Bonnie Angulas said in the weeks since they’ve been open, many people have already been using the library, with good lighting and steady WiFi, to work from home.
She said she’s seen familiar faces who helped get the fundraising goal across the finish line.
“Our highest donation was $1 million. Our lowest was five [dollars]. But each one counts,” Angulas said.
Raspiller said they had around 500 people show up on opening day alone. That’s almost 1 in 5 people in Mont Vernon.
There’s now also a room just for children. Angulas said the theme is enchanted forest. There’s a ceiling-height tree and a fairy cottage reading nook in the corner.
Nancy Craven brought her granddaughter, Magnolia, to the library’s first lap sit program at the new location. Craven said her daughter, Magnolia’s mom, moved back because of the library.
“We've all been voting for this for years and just hoping to see it come to fruition. It's just amazing. It's such an amazing job that they did, the committee,” Craven said. “I get choked up every time I come in here because it's literally a dream come true. It's been so long coming and it's just so cool.”
The library’s namesake is Sophia Daland, a Mont Vernon widow from the 1800s whose will included a trust to establish and maintain a library for the town in perpetuity. That trust helped construct the old library, and in the new library, will help take care of most expenses going forward. A portrait of Daland by a local artist hangs on the wall above the fireplace.
Angulas said with the new facility, come spring, they’re considering hosting live music and an arts festival.
“We're just trying to think forward like, we've got this big space now, what can we do with it? And it's almost unlimited,” Angulas said.
