Veterans battle library expansion

MANCHESTER, Conn. (WTNH) -- There is a battle between a group of veterans who are trying to protect their land in Manchester.

They are fighting expansion plans for a library, which they say will take over part of their memorial park.

Libraries are quiet. Debates about library expansion, less so.

"A woman came by and saw 'Save the Park' sign and said, 'no, no, no,no! Never, never! Not while I live here,'" said Leslie Manna, of Manchester.

"A library is portable, a park is not," said Malcolm Barlow, of Manchester.

Manchester's library is one of the busiest in the state, and the 1930's building hasn't had a renovation since 1961. The plan before voters in November is to renovate and expand the facility on Center Memorial Park.

"That's the expansion, that's what we have now," Miriam Byroade said.

Byroade is leading the charge.

"It gets a lot, a lot of use," Byroade said. "It needs to be bigger for more programming space, more public access to computers, more quiet study areas. It needs to fill the modern needs of the library."

However, opponents say the $12.5 million dollar rehab is a waste of money, a new one should be built elsewhere. Plus, local attorney Malcolm Barlow says parking is an issue, and war monuments would be stone's throw away from a brick wall.

"Why do this, what I call a mistake, do this in the park? Why expand it, take over the park," asked Barlow.

If you take a walk in one section of the park, you might be able to make out a white line. That white line would be the footprint of the building.

According to a city official, right now there is 73 percent of available green space there. If it is built, that would drop down to 72 percent.

"If we build that, and then there's not enough parking, there will be a strong push to protect the $12 million investment by putting in parking," said Barlow.

"There's actually going to be 6,000 feet of re-claimed green space from paved ugly parking space areas," Byroade said.

A rally to save the park is planned for Saturday. Inside, the library is quiet, but outside the debate is getting louder.

"That end of the park is hardly used, there's a dumpster behind the library, do we really need the dumpster back there," said Byroade.

"To make a mistake at $1,200 is a mistake, $12.5 million is just a bigger mistake," said Barlow.