A New Chapter For Barrett Library

Weiler Family Donates 6,000 Square-foot Structure To Help Expansion

Cresco, PA, (Pocono Record 7/11/03) -- The Barrett Friendly Library will someday soon have a much larger home, thanks to the donation of a building by the Weiler family of Buck Hill Falls.

The building, located on Route 390 at Sand Spring Road, was formerly the home of the Evergreen School and most recently has been used as office space by The Shepherds of Monroe County.

The structure contains nearly 6,000 square feet - - three times the size of the present library building, which serves residents of Barrett and Paradise townships.

Karl Weiler, chairman of Weiler Corp. in Cresco, said his company purchased the building three or four years ago for office space, but ended up not needing it.

Members of the Library board approached Weiler about purchasing or renting the property.

After a family discussion, Weiler, his wife and three sons decided to give the building to the library. "The family feels it's nice to make Barrett and Paradise a better community by having this library," Weiler said.

Weiler Corp. will maintain the lanscaping of the grounds at no cost.

"It is such a wonderful gift. We are so excited," library director Cindy DeLuca said. "We'll be able to have a computer lab and an elevator" to make the library accessible to wheelchairs.

The building now occupied by the library on Route 191 in Mountainhome was built in 1912, and has been burting at the seams for some time. Yet, the library has managed to provide an array of information services to its patrons, from computers for children and grownups to books and magazines, DVDs, books on tape and CD, without adding any space in more than 20 years.

The old library was built with community labor and donated materials on land donated by the Schafer family. Two additions over the years were community-wide undertakings, but the building is at its limit.

"Engineering and architectural reviews showed us that further additions to the existing building are not feasible," said Carol Hillstead, president of the library's board of directors.

"For the last four years, the board has been struggling with how to continue to meet our community's needs," Hillstead said. "The Weiler family's generous gift will make all the difference."

The landmark building will continue to be used, possibly as a community room, for historic displays and for used book sales. "The old library is very precious to everyone," Hillstead said.

Before moving into the new building, the library will need to install a heating/cooling system and meet accessibility standards set by the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The library board is considering applying for grants and launching a community fund drive.

"The library has served this community for about 100 years with this space and now we'll be able to serve the community for another 100 years," Hillstead said.