BERLIN – The Worcester County Library is looking to connect its Berlin branch to North Main Street with the construction of a new sidewalk.
In a meeting of the Worcester County Library Board of Trustees on Tuesday, Library Director Jennifer Ranck announced preliminary plans for a sidewalk project in Berlin.
“There’s not a continuous sidewalk from Main Street to the branch …,” she told board members this week. “The town of Berlin has been helpful in getting this ball rolling.”
In an interview this week, Ranck said the library will meet with town staff in the coming days to discuss the logistics of installing a sidewalk that will connect North Main Street to Harrison Avenue using a grassy area of land between the two roads.
“It’s all very preliminary,” she said. “The railroad complicates things and the utilities too … The town will help us to figure out property ownership and see if it’s even possible.”
Ranck said this week it was not clear how much the proposed sidewalk would cost, but that the Worcester County Library Foundation would offer assistance.
“It’s still in the planning stages,” she said. “We’re still trying to figure it all out.”
On Tuesday, Ranck also provided the board with an update on the library’s reopening plans.
In March, all Worcester County Library branches closed to the public in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The library has slowly reintroduced services such as its “library to go” and “printing to go” programs. In November, the library opened its doors for a “grab and go” program, allowing patrons to make appointments to browse the library collection. Ranck told board members Tuesday the plan was to continue offering those services, in addition to the library’s “program to go” kits.
