KINGSTON - The Nichols Memorial Library board of trustees is working on a petition warrant article requesting $40,000 to put into a capital reserve account toward renovation or construction of a new library.

Trustees said they will try over the holidays to get the 25 signatures from registered voters required to file a petition warrant article with the town.

John Chasse, treasurer of the board of trustees, said they hope to file it with the town in January. The deadline to file petition warrant articles in Kingston is Feb. 1.

Chasse said trustees thought a warrant article asking to put away a small amount of money for a future library would be better for the taxpayers than a full request for a bond. The fact that taxpayers are paying off a new $30 million high school had a lot to do with the trustees’ decision.

"We wrestled to determine a figure," trustee Peter Sullivan said. "The long-term goal necessitates that we put something away every year. People are paying for the school and will be for a while. We still have an obligation though to act on behalf of the people. We are hoping people will see it’s an ongoing need."

Voters approved the purchase of a 3.5-acre parcel for a new facility at the corner of Church Street and Marshall Road in 2001. Voters rejected a proposal for $1.8 million to build a new library in 2002 and 2003. Because of past rejections, the board of trustees is rethinking its plan for the future and hopes to create a strategic planning committee to develop fresh ideas.

"We are moving forward to try to develop a strategic plan," Chasse said. "The Envision Kingston concept looked at the facility but has nothing to do with what a patron sees or does when they get into the library. Hopefully (through a committee) we’ll have a better understanding."

Trustees are looking for members of the community to serve on this strategic planning committee that would create a plan for what the library will offer its residents.

Chasse said the trustees don’t want to do this in a vacuum and forming the committee is just another way to get interest and fresh ideas from new people.

"It’s a big project and we want a broader involvement of people from the town," Sullivan said. "We want more viewpoints expressed."

Trustees have viewed a new library building as a community center with a multipurpose room, and designated space for computers, children’s room, periodicals and reference.

Through past fund-raising efforts, the Nichols Memorial Library has been able to save $150,000. Trustees have said they believe it would take more than 10 years to raise the money for a new building and they’d eventually have to ask the voters for a bond.

The March 2004 ballot did not request a bond for building a new facility but instead asked voters for $150,000 toward the capital reserve for future construction. It was rejected by voters.

More than 10 years ago, the library received notice that it failed to meet state fire codes. The town recently installed a sprinkler system, funded by the $50,000 that was earmarked for upgrades, approved during the March 2004 vote. The Nichols Library is still not handicapped-accessible.

Anyone interested in serving on a strategic planning committee should call library director Andy Richmond at 642-6521.