Hedge trimmers, circular saws, and sewing machines; deep friers, deli slicers, and camping tents - these are among the hundreds of items available for checkout at the Lexington Tool Library.
Jess Estridge, a volunteer, said the purpose of the library is to enable community members to hold tools in common - especially the sort of things you only need once in a blue moon.
"We are trying to fill an expansive niche of things that we may all need to use at one time or another, but it doesn't particularly make sense to have on hand all the time," said Estridge.
For instance, if you own a lawnmower, you may only be using it every other weekend; if you own a punch bowl, you may only be using it once a season.
"It may be much more beneficial if that tool could be used by many instead of just collecting dust at the back of someone's pantry or in their basement," said Estridge.
To borrow a tool, you must first be a member, but the folks at the Tool Library refuse to let that be a barrier. Membership is offered at a sliding scale, whether that’s at $10 a month, $5 a month, or $0 dollars a month.
"You use the online site to reserve a tool, you come in during our open hours, you come pick it up, you return it during our next open hours," explained Estridge.
Right now, those open hours are very limited - Thursday Evenings, from 5-8 pm at the Black and Williams Center on Georgetown Road. But a new grant will allow them to expand beyond that - with the addition of a tool mobile
"We can reach more people, we can go to more spots in town, we can have more hours. That's a really big thing," said Estridge.
The Tool Library is using funds from the SDOP grant to purchase a used, large truck that doesn’t require a CDL. They’re looking for volunteers to install shelving and storage, to paint it, and - eventually - to drive it.