Library property purchase could add 32 parking spaces

This property on less than half an acre could yield the Blue Hill Public Library an additional 32 parking spaces. Photo courtesy of Blue Hill Public Library.

BLUE HILL–The Blue Hill Public Library is purchasing a property across the street that will allow it to better accommodate its patrons, including by providing additional parking spaces, according to a press release.

The library will purchase the long-vacant building and land at 10 Parker Point Road, currently owned by Northern Light Blue Hill Hospital. Located across the street from the library, the property “will be purchased with hopes of addressing longstanding parking, safety, and accessibility needs for library visitors,” the release said.

The 10 Parker Point Road property has approximately 0.4 acres and includes a two-story building occupying about one-third of the lot. The building, which most recently was home to Healthy Peninsula, has been unoccupied for roughly five years and “is currently in unusable condition,” the release said.

Determining whether the building can be saved, as well as soliciting ideas for possible future uses, “will be a process,” library director Rich Boulet told The Rising Tide.

“We will use some of the land for additional parking, but whether or not the building has another future use, there are a lot of factors to consider,” Boulet said. 

The library’s primary interest is to use the majority of the property’s grounds to create an auxiliary off-street parking lot for library visitors. Due to its condition, the library is not planning to use the existing building but is willing to explore options for its future use in ways that are “consistent with the library’s best interests and are positive for the community,” the release said.

“The library is one of the most heavily used public facilities in the village, and that level of use creates pressure on parking and pedestrian safety,” Boulet said in the release. “This purchase will allow us to make thoughtful, long-planned improvements that will benefit library users, neighbors, and the broader community.”

Nearly 100,000 people visited the library in 2025, with more than 12,000 people attending various library events, according to the release.

The eventual new parking area across the street would add approximately 20 to 32 additional spaces, depending on final configuration. That, combined with other improvements that are in the works on a lot owned by the library adjacent to its main building, could increase the total off-street parking capacity from 18 spaces to approximately 38 to 56 spaces.

“People have sometimes taken a creative approach to parking, causing public safety concerns. I hope this will alleviate those concerns.” Boulet said.

The new lot will be accessed via the existing hospital entrance on Parker Point Road, removing the need for a new vehicle entrance, and will be landscaped “to complement the surrounding area with consideration for the neighborhood,” the release said. The library also intends to request town approval for a new crosswalk to allow pedestrians to cross Parker Point Road safely between the proposed lot and the library.

The library said it will continue to explore options for the existing building at 10 Parker Point Road and welcomes public input. Anyone with questions or ideas may email Rich Boulet or call (207) 374-5515.