OVID – Senator Pam Helming participated in the groundbreaking for the addition at the Edith B. Ford Memorial Library in Ovid on Saturday, May 12. Senator Helming joined Library Director Shannon O’Connor, Library Board of Trustees President Sally Eller, Town Supervisor Walt Prouty, and Village Mayor Leon Kelly for the groundbreaking ceremony. As a result of her advocacy, Senator Helming was able to secure a $50,000 toward this community project. Senator Helming was also able to achieve a $7,500 grant for the library last year.

“Whether it is a child borrowing a book for the first time, a teenager doing research for a school paper, or an adult using the internet to find a job, our libraries reach every walk of life and serve as a community gathering place. With that in mind, I was excited help support this project to nearly double the size of the library. With more space, the library will be able to more for the community. And that’s a good thing, since the library has experienced a dramatic growth in usage in the last decade, including doubling the number of cardholders and quadrupling the number of library visits since 2008. Event programming and the number of children’s books have also grown substantially. Our librarians and libraries have been outstanding partners, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Edith B. Ford Memorial Library and all of our local libraries to support our communities,” Senator Helming said.