Where will the bicycles go? Where do the buses stop? Which one is the children’s room? Those were just a few of the questions Megan McDonald’s first grade students asked student council representatives about the proposal for a new Edgartown library on Wednesday morning.

Seventh graders Lee Hayman and Sara Poggi presented the plans and perspective drawings and answered questions for their fellow students in an effort to involve the entire community, even the youngest, in the decision-making process.

“I asked the student council to spread the word and give the remainder of the student body information about the new library project,” school principal John Stevens said before the presentation began. Student council members have a prepared Power Point presentation they have offered throughout the school the past two weeks.

“The kids have a chance to ask questions and interact with the presenter. It’s a neat concept,” Mr. Stevens said. “It’s an exercise in itself. It gives the members of the student council practice in presenting and speaking skills and everybody learns about what may happen next door.”

“I hope it’ll happen next door,” Ms. McDonald added in. “It’ll be fantastic.”

Pending approval from town voters at the annual meeting in April, the new Edgartown library would move from its current North Water street location to the site of the old Edgartown School on Edgartown-West Tisbury Road. The project is currently under review by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners for state funding, and the library building committee will ask voters to accept the state monies in advance of the commissioners’ decision in June.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $10.7 million, and the state grant, if awarded, would meet half of it.

“They’re thinking of making the old school the new library. They want to move the library from downtown to right here,” Lee explained. “It’ll be better for more books, and it’s going to be a lot easier to get to.”

Lee and Sara then took the students through a virtual tour of the new addition to the Edgartown School campus, pointing out where the arts and crafts room would be, the young adult reading room, the children’s reading room. They patiently explained that the now-first graders would be in fourth grade before the new library opened.

Lee Hayman (left) and Sara Poggi (right) present case. — Ivy Ashe

“Who will work at the new library?” asked the students.

“What will happen to the old library?”

The library committee has been discussing both of those questions.

“How do we get to the new library?”

“Would we go there sometimes?”

“Absolutely,” Ms. McDonald said.

“What’s it going to be like to break [the old building] down?” asked one student.

“There’s going to be a lot of construction,” Lee said, “those are some of the things we’re concerned about.”

Committee member Chris Scott assured the students most of the work would be done during the summer so as not to create an unsafe environment for them.

But of bigger concern to Lee, Sara and other student council members is the green courtyard space currently in between the old school and the new school. As the plans stand now, the courtyard would be converted into a parking lot. But a student-led crusade to save the green space did not go unheard.

“They’re thinking about turning [the courtyard] into a parking lot. What do you guys think about that?” Sara asked. “I know I want to keep the courtyard.”

The first graders looked puzzled.

“That’s when we have our picnic lunches and we all sit in the courtyard, that would become a parking lot. Would we be able to have picnic lunches in the parking lot?” Ms. McDonald clarified.

“No!” the first graders lamented.

“I’ve been talking with Mr. Stevens and one of the things I’ve enjoyed hearing a lot of is your comments, especially about the green space,” Mr. Scott said. “One of the things about plans is they’re just ideas. It’s not built yet and it’s easy enough to change plans depending on what people are saying and advice they’re giving us.”

Mr. Scott then invited Mr. Stevens and representatives of the student council to come to a library design committee meeting to express their comments and concerns.

“It’s something I’ve mentioned to them,” Mr. Scott said, “but if they could hear it from you, especially given how well you gave this presentation, that would be a good message for them to hear.”