Edgartown Cuts the Ribbon on New Library
July 05, 2016
Celeste Bruno
Communications Specialist
1-800-952-7403 x208
celeste.bruno@state.ma.us
On Saturday, June 25, residents and officials gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the brand new Edgartown Public Library. The $13,489,552 project was funded in part by a $5,002,139 grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) through the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP).
Board of Selectman Chair Margaret Serpa praised the residents of Edgartown for their outpouring of support for the project. "This library was a town project, and the support of this project was amazing," Serpa said. "I am so proud of Edgartown."
MBLC Chair Mary Ann Cluggish echoed that sentiment in her remarks congratulating the town. "It not only takes a village to build a library, it takes a lot of support, and you got that support," Cluggish said. "Now that you've built it, they are coming."
The new building, designed by Boston-based architects Tappe Associates, replaces the town's original Carnegie library that had been in use since 1912. When the library attains LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, it will receive a Green Library Incentive grant of $125,523 to $219,665 (depending on the LEED level) from the MBLC.
The new building sits in a complex that includes the Edgartown Recreation Center, the Edgartown Public Schools building, and The Boys and Girls Club. John Stevens, principal of the Edgartown School, stated that the addition of the library to the campus makes the area a "world-class neighborhood."
View photos from the event at the MBLC Flickr and Facebook pages.
Funding for the MPLCP is authorized by the governor and state legislature. With support from the MPLCP, projects are currently underway in Eastham, Hopkinton, Reading, Salisbury, Scituate, Shrewsbury, Stoughton, and Webster. An additional 21 communities are in the planning and design phase.
The MPLCP was first funded in 1987. Since then, the program has assisted hundreds of communities in building new libraries or in renovating and expanding existing libraries. For more information about the program, please visit the MBLC's website.
About MBLC
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.