WELLS — Rian and Matti Mattuchio, 4 and 8, respectively, sat beside Wells Public Library’s Youth Services Director Allison Herman on Saturday morning and signed up for the summer reading program. When all the participants are counted, there will be more than 300 youngsters enrolled.

Over in the children’s room, Oliver, 2, and Olivia, 4, who just met that day, played together on a rug.

Olivia, who lives in nearby New Hampshire and was visiting grandparents  in Wells for the day, has been going to libraries once a week since she was six month old, said her mother, Jessica.

Elsewhere, some people pieced together a jigsaw puzzle, while others read the daily newspapers. Others wandered in the stacks, looking for that perfect summer read.

It was a busy place on Saturday morning  — extra busy  —  because a long-desired 3,340-square-foot addition had been finished and a celebration was in the offing.

“Libraries have been and should be the cultural center of the town or city,” commented library Trustee Peter Masucci. “Everything comes together at the library.”

The $1 million addition was made possible through the Wells Public Library Foundation, which hosted numerous fundraising events, and received community donations to help swell the coffers for the building project . The Hall Family Foundation matched $500,000 in contributions.

“It’s going to be great for the community,”  said Joanne Hall as people began to gather  in the new community program room that can hold up to 80 people.

Besides the community program room — which has a separate entrance for after-hours community or private events — there is  a quiet study room, administrative areas and staff offices, freeing up the smaller meeting room in the main portion of the library for public use.

Library Director Devin Burritt said that 70,000 people entered through the Wells Public Library doors in 2017. About 8,000 folks attended programs, such as Mother Goose story time, teen game tournaments, book discussions and Lunch and Learn events  for adults.

“We’ve been working on becoming a third place — not work, not home — but a place to connect with friends and neighbors,” said Burritt.

Longtime library supporters Mort and Barbara Mather spoke of  their move to Wells in 1972 and joining Goodall Library in Sanford — because there wasn’t a library in Wells at the time — it wasn’t until 1978 that the doors of the Wells Public Library opened for the first time.

Barbara Mather ended her remarks by quoting Cicero:

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need,” she said.

“It’s been a labor of love and a joy for me,” said Amy Anderson, outgoing president of the library board of trustees, of the building project.

The addition was built by Summer Village Builders of Wells.

Karl Ekstedt, chairman of the Wells Board of Selectmen, called the project a success story. He noted the town, facing budget issues at the time, had to say no to assisting the library with funding the addition.

“The community rallied with a spirit I’ve never seen,” he said. Ekstedt took note of the Hall Family Foundation’s contribution that “took the ball into the end zone.”

“It’s a great day and this is a great building for the town of Wells,” he said.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.

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