Text/photos by Robert Adams //
An anchor of Yucatan’s expat community for more than 20 years, Merida English Library is poised to launch a $1-million-peso expansion and makeover project intended to broaden the institution’s outreach.
MEL’s board of directors predicts that when snowbirds return to Merida in November, they will find the library showing off a radically new look, with more facilities including a café with a covered food-and-drink service area in MEL’s former courtyard.
The expansion’s first phase also includes larger spaces for children’s programs, bigger meeting areas, more restrooms and new tile flooring.
While the actual timetable depends on successful permitting through INAH and other agencies, MEL board members are optimistic that dust will soon fly at the Calle 53 building.
“We have been talking about expansion for many years, but last summer the board got serious about defining the needs of a growing membership and the broader Yucatecan community,” said Greg Casini, the board’s president for the past two years.
Designed by Canadian architect Kenneth Goodman of Merida, the expansion encompasses two phases to allow for flexibility depending on the actual funds raised.
“This is the first time MEL has done anything like a capital campaign,” noted Casini, who brings job experience as the Sierra Club’s membership director to his MEL volunteer role. “We’ve already raised $550,000 pesos, but the goal is to reach $1 million. That would permit a phase two. But we will not spend more than we raise. We will adapt the plans if we don’t reach the full one million.”
Casini noted the new-and-improved look for 650-member MEL reflects its evolving role as a community center that is not only a haven for expats.
“We have more and more connections with the local community,” he said. “Some of our most popular programs are our mentor program for English students at UADY and our children’s activities.”
The next step is to select a general contractor for the construction work. More fundraising events like concerts and auctions may be in the works.
–Robert Adams
