Project Timeline
1988
Library Capital Reserve Established
Mont Vernon voted to begin saving for a new library building to meet the needs of a growing town
To see if the Town will vote to establish a Library Capital Reserve Fund under the provisions of NH RSA 35:1 for the purpose of the expansion of the Daland Memorial Library and to raise and appropriate the sum of $10,000.00 to be placed in this fund
Saving has paid off. The Library Capital Reserve now includes:
Town Appropriations $164,002
Daland Trust Contributions $150,000
Past Expenditures -$83,824
Earned Interest $142,006
Balance 12/31/2021 $368,183
1997
Land Purchased
Mont Vernon voted to purchase land for a new cemetery and a new library near Carleton Pond
“To see if the Town will vote to dissolve the Daland Memorial Library Capital Reserve Fund and to see if the town will raise and appropriate an amount (not to exceed $140,000) equal to the balance of said fund less $30,000 to establish a new Library Capital Reserve Fund to be used for the expansion of the Library, including, as necessary, the purchase of land and/or land development, the construction of roadways and parking areas, construction of additions or structures, moving of the existing structure, the purchase of equipment, and other costs incidental to the library expansion. To further see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of $30,000 for the purpose of acquiring a site for the library expansion and the expenses incidental thereto.”
2015
Charitable Foundation Formed
Library lovers formed the Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation—a tax exempt 501(c)(3) in order to able to raise private funds.
The Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation was conceived in 2014 and approved by the IRS in 2015. Not only does MVLCF provide a way for townspeople to support the project with tax-deductible donations, but it also serves as a vehicle for applying for grants from government agencies and other private foundations.
The MVLCF is a nonprofit, volunteer organization dedicated to raising and managing funds for the enhancement and capital improvement of the public library of Mont Vernon, New Hampshire.
2016
Building Study Initiated
Mont Vernon voted to conduct a study to address the future of Town Hall, the McCollom Building and the Library Building
“To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) for the purposes of conducting comprehensive engineering and architectural building studies and to develop a multi-year plan to address building deficiencies of the Mont Vernon Town Hall, McCollom Building and Daland Memorial Library or take any other action thereto. Said appropriations to be raised through general taxation, grants and/or donations. This special warrant article will be a non-lapsing appropriation per RSA 32:7, VI and will not lapse until the purpose is completed or by December 31, 2017, whichever is sooner.”
2018
Needs Assessment Update
Library Building Consultant, Patience Jackson, was hired by the Library Trustees to update the 2008 Library Needs Assessment in the spring of 2018. The 36 page document assesses the current library space, speaks to the new library site selection, recommended square footage of a new library and notes the minimum space needs of a modern library. Click on the link below for the full text.
Town Buys Existing Building – Initiates Design
Mont Vernon voted to buy the existing building for town use and to release design funding from the Library Capital Reserve
“To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Hundred Five Thousand Dollars ($105,000) for the purpose of purchasing the existing Daland Library Building from the Daland Trust. The building will continue to be maintained by the Daland Trust, and used exclusively as the Town Library until such time as a new library building is approved, constructed and occupied. The sale of the building is contingent on the approval of the Courts. This special article is a special warrant article per RSA 32:3 VI (d) and RSA 32:7 V.”
And
”To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of forty Five Thousand Dollars ($45,000) for the engineering, architecture, and estimating services necessary to prepare a preliminary site plan, including septic and drainage designs, a schematic design and a cost estimate for a new Library and authorize the withdrawal of Forty Five Thousand ($45,000) from the Library Capital Reserve created for that purpose. No funds are to come from general taxation. This will provide the information necessary to present a warrant article in 2019 to build a new library on the Town land previously acquired for this purpose adjacent to Carleton Pond. Recommendations Required. This article has no tax impact.”
2019
Library Capital Campaign Planning - Conyers Gift Announced
Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation begins planning campaign to fund new building.
In order to limit the tax impact of the new library project, The MVLCF began planning a capital campaign to raise the additional capital needed for the project. The campaign is expected to last a year. We are fortunate that the Library Capital Reserve Fund created to support the project by the voters of the Town of Mont Vernon and a substantial commitment from the Daland Trust give us a significant head start.
Late in 2019, the Foundation was thrilled to announce a major gift from the Estate of Sherri Conyers.
Sherri Conyers, a Mont Vernon resident bequeathed the sum of one million dollars to the Foundation in support of the project in memory of her late husband, David Lawrence Moore. At their meeting on Monday, December 16, 2019 the MVLCF board of directors voted to accept this very significant gift and to honor Sherri’s generosity by naming the adult reading room in the new library in honor of her husband, David Lawrence Moore. This gift represents the single largest commitment to the project to date.
2020
Leaf Fundraiser Concludes - Library Site Permits Received
Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation successfully concluded “Leaves of Change” fundraiser
The Foundation announced the successful conclusion of the Leaves of Change fundraiser. Kicked off in late 2018, the initiative raised $64,000 to support the Foundation’s future fundraising activities. The contributions of the fifty-four donors, representing the fifty-four leaves in the Daland Memorial Library logo, will be recognized in the new library.
The Mont Vernon Library Trustees obtain Key Site Permits
The Mont Vernon Library Trustees, with the support of the Board of Selectmen, the Cemetery Trustees and the Conservation Commission applied for several key site permits from various NH State Agencies in late 2019. All permits were granted in early 2020, clearing the way for site development within five years.
2021
Foundation Hosts Fundraisers – Applies for Grants - Supports Next Phase of Library Design
Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation hosted three very successful fundraising events during 2021
In June, The Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation participated in #NHGives for the first time and raised more than $5,000 in a single day. The event is a NH specific philanthropic challenge modeled on the global #GivingTuesday.
We were honored to be chosen by the Darula family to help host a September golf tournament celebrating the memory of Jayson Darula. The Souhegan Woods event was fabulous. Golfers and library supporters spent the day together remembering Jayson in a place that he loved. The event, together with memorial donations, raised nearly $25,000 toward the library project. We are so grateful to the Darula family for allowing us to share in this incredibly special day.
In November, MVLCF participated in #GivingTuesday for the third year in a row. Thanks to our generous matching donors, we raised a Foundation record of more than $10K in a single day.
The Mont Vernon Library Foundation Has Begun Aggressively Pursuing Grant Opportunities Large and Small During 2021
The Foundation submitted grant applications ranging from $10,000 to more than $600,000. The largest of these opportunities is an Infrastructure Challenge Matching Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The proposal was a team effort involving hundreds of hours of work not only from the Foundation but also from other Mont Vernon groups and individuals including the Historic District Commission, the Heritage Commission, and the Selectmen, who wrote letters supporting our grant proposal.
The Mont Vernon Library Foundation Provided Funding to the Library Trustees to Continue Design Work During 2021
The Foundation provided the funding necessary for the Library Trustees to conduct additional site investigation and to complete the next design phase including interior and exterior landscape design for the library project. This work further defines the New Library design and evaluated the library site to eliminate unknowns that affect project cost.
Q1 - 2022
New Library Information Session and 2022 Town Meeting
Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation participated in a New Library Information Session hosted by the Mont Vernon Library Trustees in February
The Foundation shared updated 2021 fundraising results and plans for 2022 and 2023 at the information session the Library Trustees hosted at the Mont Vernon Village School on February 22nd. The event was well attended and there was a lot of great discussion about the project. Questions raised at the session are now addressed on our FAQs page.
Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation Supported Library Candidates on Voting Day and Library Related Warrant Articles at Town Meeting in March
Following a very high turnout on Voting Day, MVLCF President Cindy Raspiller was re-elected to another three-year term as Library Trustee and former Board Member Amy White was elected to a two-year term.
Despite a surprise snowstorm on Town Meeting Day, the event was quite well attended. There were several items of interest to library supporters on this year’s Town Warrant. Discussion was lively! Residents supported release of Library Capital Reserve funding to complete the new building design and approved another addition to the Capital Reserve. The Sophia G. Daland Trust will once again match the Town’s generous contribution, bringing the total addition to $40K. Mont Vernon is so very fortunate to have benefitted for more than a century from Sophia Daland’s legacy!
While the Selectmen’s warrant on construction of the access road for the new cemetery and library wasn’t successful this year, it gives the Cemetery and Library Trustees time to collaborate with the other concerned groups to reexamine how we can best meet everyone’s needs.
Q2 - 2022
MONT VERNON LIBRARY PROJECT AWARDED $655,000 GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES!
The Mont Vernon Library Charitable Foundation has been awarded a matching grant worth up to $655,000 by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant will support building the modern, accessible 7,600 square foot library Mont Vernon needs. The new facility will replace our current 1,200 square foot 1909 building, addressing the historic building’s many shortcomings and providing the space, technology, and accessibility to allow library staff and visiting presenters to offer high quality cultural programming for central southern NH residents. A major improvement anticipated by residents is the accessibility of the one-level design. The library is an important gathering space for town residents and the new facility will greatly enhance this important capability.
Our project is the only recipient this year in NH and one of only 23 projects nationwide.
To see the NEH press release and the full list of grantees visit: https://www.neh.gov/news/neh-announces-3317-million-245-humanities-projects-nationwide
Q3-2022
Library Building Committee Seated
Members:
Bill McKinney, Charlie York, and Christine Price Hamilton
Consulting Members:
Anne Dodd and Jill Weber (Daland Trust), Cindy Raspiller (Chair of Library Trustees), Bonnie Angulas (Library Director), and John Quinlan ( Selectman’s Representative)
The Library Building Committee was seated in September 2022. The committee is tasked with reviewing architectural design documents and collaborating with Library Trustees to develop a final design package and RFP to send out to construction forms for bids. The committee will review qualifying bids in January and assist the Library Trustees with warrant article development.
Q4-2022
The Library Building Committee worked with Dewing Schmid Kearns (DSK) for several months to identify cost reduction opportunities, finalize the new library design and release the formal Request for Proposals (RFP) for the new library project, The RFP was released in November of 2022. The LBC also developed cost estimates for expenses that the town will need to include in the overall project budget. These costs are known as “soft costs” and include contingency funding to cover unexpected expenses and the cost of independent inspections and to pay an expert to provide part time contractor oversight on behalf of the Town - often called a “clerk of the works”.
2023
After the Library Building Committee’s (LBC) hard work in the fall of 2022, the Library Trustees received four bids from local construction management firms in early January. The LBC scrutinized bids closely and worked with all four bidding firms to assure that each bid was fully responsive to the RFP before selecting three firms to interview. Following interviews in late January, the LBC recommended that the Library Trustees select Turnstone Corporation of Milford, NH as the CM for the project. After careful evaluation of the cost information within the Turnstone bid and estimates developed for items to be paid directly by the Town, the LBC recommended that the Library Trustees set the full project cost at $5.95M. The Library Trustees met in early February and voted to accept these recommendations. They then developed two warrant articles in support of the project and submitted them to the Select Board to be included in the 2023 Town Warrant.