The Joseph H. Plumb Library in Rochester is a great resource tool in the Tri-Town area, and on Saturday, March 24, local residents were able to gain a plethora of information, but it wasn’t through books or computers. Several candidates running in the town elections stopped by the library, with coffee and pastries, for a meet and greet session.
“We are meeting here today to see if anyone from the community was to come in and meet us to find out what’s going on, what we want to do and what our visions are,” said Library Trustee candidate Jennifer Kulak.
Joining Kulak in the library were fellow trustee candidates Win Sharples and Mary Levenson as well as Water Commissioner Michael Conway. Kulak, Sharples and Levenson are vying for two three-year positions on the Board of Library Trustees, while Conway is running unopposed for a three-year term on the Water Commission.
The library was a fitting setting for the trustee candidates, who know the importance of having an available library in the community.
“The biggest thing is that it’s been said that in ten years there will be no bookstores,” said Sharples. “In order to stay, we have to make the transition into the Kindles. We have to be aware of that and we have to fight for this great resource.”
Due to the rising popularity in electronic readers, such as the Kindle and the Nook, many local bookstores are going out of business and libraries are seeing reduced hours and days of operation. For Levenson, a Rochester native, she has grown up with the Plumb Library and would love to see it stick around for future generations.
‘It’s exactly as I remember it. I remember coming here for summer reading growing up,” said Levenson. “There’s more technology now, and there are more resources available. I think it’s an important part of the community and I would like to see it stay up to date with all the current books and technology.”
Conway represented one of the newest formed boards in town. The Water Commission was recently formed in order to form a long-term solution in determining the water needs for the town of Rochester.
As it stands, the town does not have its own public water supply and acquires it from New Bedford, Marion and Wareham. Conway said the goal of the commission is to analyze the demographics in town to see where the biggest need for public water would be so they can plan accordingly. In order to do so, the commission needs the help of local residents.
“We have been working with other groups in town such as the Planning Board and Conservation Commission,” said Conway. “But we also encourage anyone who has good ideas to bring them forward because we need them to come up with a better long-term plan.”
The town of Rochester will hold its annual elections on Wednesday, April 11. For more information, visit www.townofrochestermass.com.
By Katy Fitzpatrick
From left: Library Trustee candidates Mary Levenson, Jennifer Kulak, Win Sharples and Water Commissioner Michael Conway field questions from local residents at the Plumb Library Saturday.