To Be Or Not To Be, That Is The Question For The Book Sale

The Friends of the Library are sending out an SOS. The popular Labor Day weekend book sale that raises thousands of dollars for the C.H. Booth Library is in jeopardy of being cancelled this fall, unless suitable space for the huge affair can be found within the next month.

Since notification by First Selectman Herb Rosenthal last September that the Fairfield Hills campus buildings that have housed the book sale for the past several years would not be available due to soil remediation being undertaken there, the Friends have been seeking a new venue for the book sale.

“We have had every commercial real estate agent in the area looking [for a space] for us,” says Mary Maki, board member. “It’s important to hold this event,” she says, noting that the Friends of the Library board is aware of their  responsibility to book sale attendees and the library.

A few possibilities have not come to fruition because of safety issues, accessibility issues, or inadequate facilities.

The book sale requires a space of at least 18,000 to 20,000 square feet with adequate parking to accommodate the hundreds of visitors that frequent the sale.

A ray of hope, though, says Ms Maki, is the proposal that is currently being reviewed by the Fairfield Hills management services. The Friends are hoping to be allowed outdoor space at the old entryway plaza of the hospital grounds in which to set up a smaller version of the annual sale.

“We’re hoping to have almost as much space,” states Ms Maki, keeping her fingers crossed that a positive response to the proposal will come later this week.