50-year-old library needs an update

The Villa Park Library needs your help.

Almost 50 years old, the infrastructure is worn out: air conditioning, heating, and the roof, are all on life support. Wiring, designed for life in the 1960s before computers became such an integral part of life, needs updating. Adding a sprinkler system would bring the structure up to code and protect all the materials we already have.

Looking for space to meet with a tutor or your local club or other small group? Forget the library as it is now. There's not enough space for requests. Want to know where your teenager is? Probably not at the library since it doesn't have space for meeting or activities suited for their age group. The lines for using a computer are well-known.

So, spend $10.6 million just to house books? Hardly the case! Newspapers, magazines, recorded books, CD's, DVD's, toys & other early childhood materials as well as access to computers and 3-D and conventional printers are all available to use for free. Did you know our library offers voter registration, employment resources, and tax information?

Let's talk money for a minute. Other DuPage communities spent $20-30 million since 2000 to build their new libraries. And they are now spending $1-2 million to upgrade their tech and youth services. Upgrades are already in our new plans. Our library has the good fortune to NOT have to purchase land for this building project.

Voting "yes" for the referendum on April 4 means more parking, a drive-up book drop, a facade that isn't crumbling, a building that could serve as a front porch to the community where people meet and mingle. It's an investment that will increase the value of your property and continue to attract new people to our village.

Laurel Burritt

Marti Seaton

Vote Yes VP Library Committee