State and Federal Funding Received for Manchester’s New Public Library

Federal, state and local elected officials recently gathered with town staff and residents at 1041 Main Street (site of the former Webster Bank building) to celebrate the award of funds to build Manchester’s new public library.

With a banner depicting the new library’s exterior and interior designs in the background, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, State Senator MD Rahman, and State Representative Jason Doucette joined Mayor Jay Moran and members of the town Board of Directors trumpeting the collaborative approach that is making this project possible.

Brian Murphy, chair of the Library Building Committee, said, “We greatly appreciate the financial support our state and federal partners are providing to assure Manchester residents have a state-of-the-art library that will serve generations to come.”

Library Board chair, Miriam Byroade, added, “Manchester voters overwhelmingly passed a funding referendum in 2022 in support of the new library which is one of the most highly utilized libraries in the state. We are excited to see this vision become a reality.”

With Webster Bank now located across Maple Street at 1007 Main Street, town officials anticipate that site preparation and building construction will begin in early 2025. It is estimated that construction will take about 16 months with a grand opening slated for mid-2026.