WOODSTOCK, VT – JULY 9, 2019 – The recent failure of a primary air-conditioning compressor at the Norman Williams Public Library (NWPL) has added new urgency to the library’s call for community support to replace its aged and rapidly deteriorating heating and cooling (HVAC) system before winter. NWPL’s Board of Directors announced today that the library has initiated a capital fundraising campaign specifically to finance a building-wide system overhaul that has been estimated at approximately $500,000 to complete.
“Our air-conditioning compressor system has given out, resulting in multiple failures in our HVAC system,” wrote NWPL’s Executive Director Amanda Merk in a statement released on the library’s website last Friday. “The trustees and staff of the library are working diligently to replace the HVAC system as soon as possible. Plans are well underway for a major heating and cooling system replacement to begin this fall.”
Last winter, the library’s heating system was similarly strained.
To ensure that the project is completed properly and at the lowest possible cost, NWPL’s Board and management have consulted several contractors and hired an engineer to design the new system, which will be significantly more energy-efficient and will reduce the library’s use of fossil fuels.
The greater-Woodstock community’s beloved library last received a major renovation, restoration, and expansion twenty years ago. Beginning in 1999, the architecturally acclaimed pink sandstone building that has graced the Village’s famous Green since 1883 was completely remodeled. This past April, BobVila.com rated NWPL ninth among the 25 most beautiful libraries in the United States.
“After two decades of providing a comfortable environment for the more than 75,000 patrons and visitors who pass through our doors each year, our HVAC equipment has simply reached the end of its functional lifetime,” said Ron Miller, President, NWPL Board of Trustees. “Because the cost is well beyond the scope of our operating budget, we must look to our community now to help us meet this special need.”
Thanks to a generous matching grant and gifts from several other major donors, the library has raised approximately half the funds needed for the project to date.
To keep patrons cool for the duration of the summer, the library has initiated the use of fans and stand-alone air-conditioners on its main and second floors, including the mezzanine. Ice cold water is available on each floor for free. Further, as many programs as possible are being relocated to the naturally cool basement level, where the children and teens libraries are housed.
In addition, NWPL offers home delivery of books, books-on-CD, DVDs, magazines, and many other library materials for those who are unable to visit the library during the hot summer months. To arrange for a home delivery, patrons can email the Library Director at director@normanwilliams.org or call (802) 457-2295 and ask for a librarian on duty.
Tax-deductible donations to support NWPL’s urgent HVAC system renovation project can be made by credit card through the library’s secure website donor page or by check (mailed or dropped off at the library’s front desk). The library encourages those with questions about supporting this project to email Michael Ricci, Development Director, at michael@normanwilliams.org.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Gina McAllister
NWPL Board of Trustees
Office: (802) 952-1048
Mobile: (802) 738-6414