CASAS Practice Test 11

Eastgate Neighborhood News: Tool Library Marks Its First Year

One year ago, the Eastgate Community Foundation turned an empty storage room at the Pine Street Recreation Center into a tool library. Residents with a library card can now borrow drills, ladders, lawn mowers, and more than 400 other items for up to one week at no charge.

The program has grown faster than anyone predicted. In its first twelve months, the tool library recorded 2,150 loans to 610 different households. "We planned for about 50 loans a month," said coordinator Mei-Ling Cho. "By spring we were averaging more than 200. People were waiting at the door on Saturday mornings."

Cho believes the library does more than save people money. "When someone borrows a ladder to fix a neighbor's gutter, that's two families helped with one tool," she said. Volunteers also teach free monthly repair classes. The most recent class, on fixing leaky faucets, filled all 25 seats within one day.

Not everyone is sure the program can last. Gus Petrakis, who owns a hardware store two blocks away, said his tool rental business has dropped slightly. "I support my neighbors," he said, "but a free service paid for by a grant can disappear when the grant runs out. Then where will people go?"

The foundation's grant pays for the program through next June. Board president Adaeze Okafor said the board is looking at a small yearly membership fee and partnerships with local businesses, possibly including Petrakis's store, to keep the shelves stocked. "We want this to be sustainable, not just a nice experiment," Okafor said.