- By Dan Veaner
- Around Town
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The Lansing Community Library Center (LCLC) has exceeded their original capital fund raising goal, with a very successful fund raising campaign. Library Chairperson Marlaine Darfler reported last Sunday (9/4) that the library has raised $300,000 to fund the second phase of capital improvements, exceeding the original goal by $75,000. Ms. Darfler announced that the goal is being raised to $350,000 to pay for a lift for handicapped access.
The improvements will add two wings to the back of the building, and make a new main entrance facing the Town Hall. A children’s reading room, better facilities for processing books, administrative space and handicapped access to both floors are planned. The project will about double the space available for stacks.
Last June Senator Michael F. Nozzolio presented a check for $100,000 of State funding to the library. This unexpended amount brought fund raising up to about 75% of the original goal of $225,000, and brought attention and lent credibility to the effort. Donations increased, coming from sources including The Triad Foundation, Inc., Cargill Deicing Technology, BorgWarner Morse Tec, Hardie Farms, Tompkins County Foundation, Greg and Betsy Galvin, Andy and Rosemary Sciarabba, Kathy Buck, Emerson Power Transmission Corporation, IMR Test Labs and The NYS Dormitory Authority.
Last June Senator Michael F. Nozzolio presented a check for $100,000 of State funding to the library. This unexpended amount brought fund raising up to about 75% of the original goal of $225,000, and brought attention and lent credibility to the effort. Donations increased, coming from sources including The Triad Foundation, Inc., Cargill Deicing Technology, BorgWarner Morse Tec, Hardie Farms, Tompkins County Foundation, Greg and Betsy Galvin, Andy and Rosemary Sciarabba, Kathy Buck, Emerson Power Transmission Corporation, IMR Test Labs and The NYS Dormitory Authority.
LCLC called this a "quiet phase" of fundraising, one in which they approached business and community leaders for donations. The library hopes to raise the additional $50,000 from among the Lansing residents. Additionally a grant for the handicap access lift has been donated by the John Ben Snow foundation.
There are additional opportunities for giving. Twelve "naming opportunities" were offered, four of which are still available. For $1,000,000 you can have the library named for you. $25,000 gets your name on the new Technology Center. For $10,000 your name can grace either the East or West Stack Room. In addition the library is looking for endowments for Books, Magazines and Materials, A Technology Upgrade, Children's Community Reading Young Adults Community Reading, Adult's Community Reading, and an Arts endowment, each one for $5,000. While these are set amounts for specific purposes, the library accepts gifts of all amounts.
Ms. Dafler says the ground breaking is scheduled for November 1 of this year, with a completion date on or before June 30, 2006. The finish date was specified as a condition of the gift that Senator Nozzolio presented.
It is remarkable that a library that began only five years ago is operating in the black, with a second construction phase funded. Community support for LCLC has also exceeded expectations with an ongoing flow of book donations and a cadre of 45 volunteers who give 450 to 550 hours a month to the library.
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