GROTON, MA ?EUR??,,????'??? Groton Public Library?EUR??,,????'???s new reading garden was recently dedicated with nine large stone steps and iron gates, honoring former children?EUR??,,????'???s librarian Geri Perry, who retired a year ago after 27 years of service. The children?EUR??,,????'???s reading garden is surrounded by nine large stones that were salvaged from a local barn foundation and donated by local landscape contractor Josh Degen. One of the stones encompassing the garden is inscribed with the following quote by Marcus Tullius Cicero: ?EUR??,,????'??if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.?EUR??,,????'?? A barn that had dated back to 1790 was being razed. Degen was on site, helping to dismantle the old foundation. Degen?EUR??,,????'???s Earthscape Inc. took possession of more than 100 large granite stones, each weighing nearly a ton. A Caterpillar Excavator was used to haul the stones that were 3 to 4 feet wide and about 30 inches high. ?EUR??,,????'??This project was done in conjunction with Kim Ahern, a landscape architect,?EUR??,,????'?? told Degen to LCN. ?EUR??,,????'??From the third floor of the library I looked down to make sure the stones were placed in a circular pattern.?EUR??,,????'?? Following the ceremony, which was attended by about 75 residents, the children at the event sat upon the big stones and listened to the first story read aloud in the new reading garden. A retaining wall has eight tiers, with each tier rising 30 inches. The wall is tied into 20 large slabs of Connecticut white line stone. The project has been a couple of years in the making and was made possible with the generous donation of about two feet of land from an abutter, state and local grants, and the libraries major capital fund in fiscal year 2003. In March 1999, the library reopened its doors after a tremendous addition to the building. The library went from about 4,000 square feet to over 17,000 square feet in size. The walkway was added this year to complement those improvements and provide a much-needed access path for pedestrians coming from Main Street. The walkway and a short retainer wall constructed along its edges were created by Degen?EUR??,,????'???s Earthscape Inc. ?EUR??,,????'??Based on some of my suggestions, we did a new redesign in the field. ?EUR??,,????'??Because Groton lacked the funds and I?EUR??,,????'???m a resident here, we subsidized one-third of the overall job. In addition to donating the stones we gave the library an extremely favorable rate, not collecting on excess of $10,000 we could?EUR??,,????'???ve billed.?EUR??,,????'??