Under a new town budget plan, the main branch of the Concord Free Public Library would be closed on Sundays. The Fowler branch in West Concord is already closed on Sundays.
Before supporting this proposal, I would ask everyone to visit the library on Sunday.
On any given week, here’s what you might see: Teenagers gathered in study groups. Families reading or playing together in the children’s section. Seniors settled into the arm chairs in the Thoreau alcove, combing through the newspaper. People of all ages meeting in the makerspace for classes on everything from needle felting to 3D printing.
Sundays afternoons at the library offer a beautiful snapshot of our community. It would be a travesty to lose this vibrant multigenerational gathering space to save a relatively modest $44,000 per year.
I urge the Select Board and the Finance Committee to reconsider this short-sighted proposal — and I encourage my fellow residents to vote against this budget at June’s Town Meeting.
Frannie Carr Toth
Everett Street
