Westport Library Board Bars Volunteers From Building Before Staff Arrive

Library · Meeting of January 12, 2026

Westport Library trustees voted to bar all non-staff visitors from the building before official public hours. The Library Board of Trustees approved the policy unanimously at its January 12 meeting after the library director raised safety and liability concerns about maintenance worker John and Friends of the Westport Library volunteers entering before staff arrived. The director said she would notify FOWL through Sue Franco.

The board also heard that the director had presented a level-funded budget request to the Finance Committee the prior week, with staffing costs rising only by a contractual cost-of-living adjustment, and that the library is gathering quotes on an HVAC overhaul estimated at roughly $100,000 for a conventional gas system — or $30,000 to $40,000 more for a ductless heat pump option the town's energy manager is pushing — a capital project that has sat on the town's priority list for at least five years without advancing.

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Source: the Library meeting of January 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.