Library extends weekend hours after record summer attendance
Visits rose 30 percent, driven by the new children's wing
The central library will stay open until 8 p.m. on Saturdays and open on Sunday afternoons from October, after a summer in which visits rose by nearly a third.
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The numbers behind the plan are modest by regional standards, but significant for a city the size of Port Ellery. According to figures released this week, the program will cost about $11 million over three years, with roughly a third covered by state grants.
For Samuel Okafor, a resident of the East Harbor district for more than two decades, the announcement was overdue. "We have been asking for this since my kids were in school," she said. "I am glad it is finally moving, even if it is later than it should be."
The measure passed with broad support after an amendment removed the most contested clause. Supporters called the compromise a practical way forward; critics said it postponed the hardest questions to a later date.
The new schedule
Staff at the Port Ellery Chamber of Commerce will hold three open sessions next month so residents can ask questions and review the maps. Dates and locations will be posted on the county website and at the public library.
Similar programs in nearby coastal towns have produced mixed results. In one case, participation exceeded projections within the first year; in another, delays in permitting pushed the launch back by almost twelve months.
The city expects to publish a first progress report in the autumn. Until then, the planning office will accept written comments by email and at the front desk of City Hall during business hours.