Library Trustees chairman Mitchell Resnick announced a town-wide festival to celebrate the proposed new library.
An artist's rendering of the proposed new South Hadley Library.SOUTH HADLEY – No sooner had the Public Library here been awarded a provisional grant of $4,841,312 from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners than its supporters got to work planning how to raise the rest of the money to meet the conditions and build a new library.
At a joint meeting of South Hadley’s Library Trustees and Library Building Committee on Monday, the group burst into applause when Trustees chairman Mitchell Resnick recognized library director Joseph Rodio, his staff and “all the townspeople who were so supportive” in the quest for the multi-million-dollar grant.
“It’s nice to sit back and relax – for six hours,” quipped Resnick.
Library supporters have a busy schedule ahead. They must raise about $3.5 million by Jan. 31, said Resnick, to keep the grant. Members of the Library Commission were expected to visit South Hadley in the next two weeks to discuss expectations and strategies. On Aug. 24, grant recipients have a mandatory grant workshop in Foxborough.
Resnick announced a town-wide festival to celebrate the proposed library on Aug. 12 from 5 to 8 p.m., at Main and Canal Streets, where the library eventually would be built.
The festival will feature live music, vendors, food and family-friendly fun; there will be no alcohol. People can bring picnics and lawn chairs. There will be no admission fee for the festival. The Public Library will have an informational table, and people may donate there if they wish.
“I want it to be an inclusive event,” said Resnick. “I want everyone to be there.” He is looking for a volunteer to coordinate the festival by recruiting entertainment, advertising the event, ensuring the area is safe and clean and serving as a liaison with the Youth Commission. Those interested can call Joseph Rodio at the library, (413) 538-5045.
In the coming weeks, library supporters plan to make presentations to the Selectboard, hold a public hearing and get on the warrant of a fall Town Meeting to ask for a debt exclusion that would pay for part of the library’s cost.
Supporters will also be raising as much money as possible in other ways, giving presentations around town and applying for more grants. Resnick said the intention is to have the new library LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which would make it eligible for “green” grants.
South Hadley is one of four libraries in Western Massachusetts to receive provisional grants from the state Board of Library Commissioners. The others are in Granby, Shutesbury and West Springfield.