Blue Hill’s public library is working to expand its outdoor campus this year.
Plans for more green space, areas for outdoor programs and additional parking are in development for a property next to the existing library building in downtown Blue Hill with the expected removal of a neighboring house to make room.
The updates will build on a pandemic-era increase in use of the grounds as the library’s community role has expanded, and help it accommodate summer traffic that nearly doubles visitor numbers. As the service center for the peninsula, Blue Hill is home to services used by residents of neighboring towns, and its library has the most registered patrons of any in Hancock County, according to director Rich Boulet.
“I would say we’re using all of our space,” he said.
Like other Maine libraries, Blue Hill’s has expanded its programming in recent years to meet the needs of young families and remote workers who moved to the area during the pandemic. That has included expanded children’s offerings, which the new space aims to help support; the pandemic also showed how much people enjoyed using the library’s outdoor space, according to Boulet.
“The role of the library as a gathering space has increased a lot in my time working in libraries,” not just in Blue Hill, he said.
The library bought a neighboring property at 13 Parker Point Road in 2021 to allow for future expansion and aims to add new offerings on that property as part of its strategic plan.
Last year, it offered the house currently onsite for free to anyone who could move it for residential use amid a shortage of affordable housing in the area. It’s seen some interested parties but no takers yet, according to Boulet, and will be torn down in late spring or early summer if one doesn’t come along.
Specific plans to use the space it will free up are still in development, but could include amenities for outdoor programs, such as a storytime area, reading garden and covered pavilion for classroom space.
There’s also room for expanded parking and safety improvements to the existing one-entry parking lot next to the building.
Site plans are on track to be completed this summer, with fundraising plans to follow. Public input is welcome and a public presentation on the proposal will be held in the future, according to Boulet.
The focus remains on exterior projects for now, he said, but the property could be used for building expansion in the future.
