Massachusetts Library Construction Projects

41 Communities Apply for Library Construction Funding

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 11, 2005

CONTACT: David L. Gray
Director, Communications & Public Information
1-800-952-7403, x208
David.L.Gray@state.ma.us

41 Communities Apply for Library Construction Funding

BOSTON – Forty-one municipalities filed Applications for New Construction, Addition/Renovation or Renovation Projects by the February 9, 2005 deadline for the 2004-2005 Massachusetts Public Library Construction Grant Round.

These Applications will now be evaluated for their completeness, and then reviewed and ranked by independent non-Agency reviewers who are not associated with the projects under consideration, as well as by staff of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The Board will announce the projects recommended for funding that will receive a provisional grant award (pending confirmation of local funding) or placement on a waiting list for future funding at its Board Meeting on Thursday, July 7, 2005.

Funding for a construction/renovation project is based on its eligible costs, which can include purchase of land not already owned by the town or its school district, consulting, architectural and engineering fees, actual construction costs and costs of fixed equipment. Landscaping, parking lots and furnishings are not eligible for funding. The state share is awarded on a sliding scale and ranges from approximately 35 percent of a larger project to 60 percent of a project under $1.2 million.

Municipalities and their libraries that applied were:

Municipality / Library
Acushnet / Russell Memorial Libray
Auburn / Auburn Public Library
Belchertown / Clapp Memorial Library
Belmont / Belmont Public Library
Bolton / Bolton Public Library
Boston / Boston Public Library - Mattapan Branch
Bourne / Jonathan Bourne Public Library
Boxford / Boxford Town Libraries
Buckland / Buckland Public Library
Cambridge / Cambridge Public Library
Dalton / Dalton Free Public Library
Dartmouth / Dartmouth Public Libraries
Dighton / Dighton Public Library
Dudley / Pearle L. Crawford Memorial Library
Edgartown / Edgartown Free Public Library
Everett / Shute Memorial Library (Branch)
Falmouth / Falmouth Public Library
Foxborough / Boyden Library
Gloucester / Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Library
Granby / Granby Public Library
Heath / Heath Free Public Library
Holbrook / Holbrook Public Library
Holyoke / Holyoke Public Library
Hull / Hull Public Library
Mashpee / Mashpee Public Library
Millis / Millis Public Library
Milton / Milton Public Library
North Attleborough / Richards Memorial Library
Norwell / Norwell Public Library
Shrewsbury / Shrewsbury Public Library
Upton / Upton Town Library
Wales / Wales Public Library
Walpole / Walpole Public Library
Ware / Young Men's Library Association
Wendell / Wendell Free Library
Westhampton / Westhampton Memorial Library
Westwood / Westwood Public Library
Wilbraham / Wilbraham Public Library
Wilmington / Wilmington Memorial Library
Winchendon / Beals Memorial Library
Woburn / Woburn Public Library

The Board of Library Commissioners (mass.gov/mblc) is the agency of state government with the statutory authority and responsibility to organize, develop, coordinate and improve library services throughout the Commonwealth. The Board advises municipalities and library trustees on the operation and maintenance of public libraries, including construction and renovation. It administers state and federal grant programs for libraries and promotes cooperation among all types of libraries through regional library systems and automated resource sharing. It also works to ensure that all residents of the Commonwealth, regardless of their geographic location, social or economic status, age, level of physical or intellectual ability or cultural background, have access to essential new electronic information technologies and significant electronic databases.


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Related Link: <http://www.mlin.org/mblc/news/2005/nr050211.php>