Click on the image above to see it at a larger size. A $41,205 Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners Planning and Design Grant was awarded to Tilton Library in August 2014. A required $20,600 supplement was funded by Tilton Fund, Inc.
Shortly after the award was announced, library trustees appointed a seven member Needs Assessment Ad Hoc Committee which interviewed and recommended an owner’s project manager and an architectural firm.
The firm, Johnson Roberts, Associates, Inc. of Somerville has prepared an initial design using the approved and accepted library building program.
This initial design and results of site studies were used to apply for a Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program Construction Grant Round in January 2017. At the July 13, 2017 meeting of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Deerfield project was placed on the Waiting List, with a rank of #12 of 24.
When funds become available through the state’s annual capital budget, a $3,944,338 provisional grant award will be made for Tilton Library’s construction project, which covers 50% of the project cost as estimated in 2017.
Schematic Design / Cost Estimate Library Building Program PDF Case Statement PDF Today and Tomorrow FAQs About the Project Library Project PowerPoint 2016 Library Project UPDATE SLIDE SHOW 2022
July 7, 2022 Update: After close to 15 years of hard work by many people, we have the opportunity to improve and expand our beloved library to be even better, with a one-time state library construction grant of $4 million dollars!! We hope to join our neighboring towns – Greenfield, Hadley, Amherst, Erving, and Shutesbury – in the movement to improve and expand libraries. SEE Library Project UPDATE SLIDE SHOW 2022 button below for more details.
Our heartfelt thanks to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) for joining us in this new vision for an expanded Tilton Library. Thank you to all who have helped us get to this point.
How soon do we have to act to secure the grant? We have 6 months–until January 7–for the Town to secure the rest of the funding for this project or we will lose this opportunity for probably decades to come.
There will be a special town meeting in October to vote on this project. If the vote passes with a two-thirds majority, then a vote will be on the ballot in November.
Will there be private fundraising too? Yes, the Tilton Fund has embarked on a capital campaign. To date, $760,000 has been raised toward the campaign’s $2 million goal. These funds will further offset the cost of the project to Deerfield’s taxpayers.
The project’s estimated cost (updated 8-8-22) is $12.3M. The MBLC grant cuts that cost down to approximately $8M . The capital campaign will decrease the amount the town must finance by $2M, bringing cost down to approx. $6M. There is a potential to get additional funding from Community Preservation Act (CPA) dollars, up to $1M. And the library will get another state grant for being a LEED certified (energy efficient) design, in the amount of $750K. Also, the library’s board of trustees is committed to mitigating construction cost increases by taking a hard look at the original plans and retooling, within the limits of the grant.
How can I help? If you are interested in supporting the capital campaign, please contact Candace bradbury-Carlin, Library Director or Nancy Maynard, Chair of the Tilton Fund, to set up a meeting to discuss the donation process. Please keep in mind that a capital campaign donation is a major gift. It is different from a donation to the Friends which supports library programs or the Tilton Fund Annual Appeal which supports the annual operating budget.
How will the Library educate the community on the project? We will continually update the community through email, a dedicated website, print materials and public presentations.