| 7/24/2009 10:56:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| SPREADING THE WORD — During a capital campaign kickoff event on Thursday, community leaders announced that fundraising efforts to renovate and expand the Dwight Foster Public Library are within $500,000 of the $3 million goal. The project will remodel the library’s existing 21,000 square feet and will add another 12,000 square feet at a total cost of $5.5 million. Pictured above, library director Connie Meyer speaks about the currently overcrowded quarters and the need for more space. — Daily Union photo by James Debilzen. |
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Funds sought for Fort library
Foster Growth Campaign
By James Debilzen
Union staff writer
Fundraising for the renovation and expansion of the Dwight Foster Public Library is within $500,000 of its goal.
During the "Foster Growth Capital Campaign" kickoff at the Fort Atkinson library on Thursday afternoon, community leaders announced that approximately $1 million and a $1.5 million matching grant already have been pledged by donors for the $3 million project. Now, they are turning to the community to provide the remaining amount.
"This plan calls for modest growth, but also allows us to capture existing unfinished spaces and utilize them," library director Connie Meyer said during the event. "It incorporates efficient and flexible reconfiguration for proper work and materials flow, provides for the badly needed upgrading of the infrastructure requiring attention and allows for implementing technology that will allow us to operate cost effectively going forward."
After years of planning, the Fort Atkinson City Council gave the library approval to move forward with the project on Sept. 16, 2008. That authorized library staff to begin a campaign to raise 55 percent, or $3 million, of the total pricetag for remodeling the existing 21,000 square feet of space and adding 12,000 square feet of new space.
The city will borrow the remaining $2.5 million.
Helen Rose, president of the board of trustees for the Dwight Foster Library, welcomed Fort Atkinson dignitaries to the kickoff by highlighting her experiences with the library and the events that led up to Thursday.
"This project is truly a joint public and private sector endeavor," Rose said. "... Since the beginning of 2009, we have been in the 'quiet phase' of the fundraising campaign - meeting with potential major donors and offering a variety of naming opportunities. That part of the campaign has been very successful.
"... Now, we are kicking off the 'loud' part of the campaign, looking for participating from all members of the community who truly treasure their library," she added.
Speaking about the project's impact, Fort Atkinson City Council President John Mielke highlighted what strong community libraries provide.
He described the library as a "magical place" for children.
"Libraries help our children travel into the past, dream about the future and learn about our present," Mielke said.
Adults utilize the space as a community gathering place, a resource for small businesses and a place where technology and information are available to everyone, he noted.
"For the community, the library is a physical statement that we are committed to servicing the needs of our citizens, a symbolic statement that our community is committed to a high quality of life and an important tool for economic development," Mielke said.
The council president said "quality of life" is a factor for attracting new businesses and libraries provide a positive return on investment, returning more than $4 to taxpayers for every $1 spent, according to a recent NorthStar Economics study.
School District of Fort Atkinson District Administrator James Fitzpatrick, chairperson of the Foster Growth Capital Campaign, said he was pleased with the initial response from private donors to the project.
"The generosity, the kindness and the awareness about how important this library is to this community with some of the wonderful contributions thus far is just amazing," Fitzpatrick said. "We're in about the eighth inning of this thing, so we need someone to hold them in the eighth and close them in the ninth. We're going to get that done."
He also spoke about the importance of public libraries.
"A library is a great equalizer," Fitzpatrick said. "It's a place where no matter what your point in life is, you can come here and have the tools and the resources. What we know in the dawn of the 21st century is that for those who are going to succeed, it's their ability to access information and to use it. Literacy is the most important skill, but technological fluency is critical, as well."
Meyer, who grew up in Fort Atkinson herself and spent countless hours browsing the shelves, discussed the building's history and the need for the renovation and expansion.
"It's easy to focus on the details," Meyer said. "It's important to remember the reason. When all is said and done, the essence of this project is about our collective future. What kind of story will we tell? What will we leave behind for our children and our children's children? Will we leave for them the type of library that was given to us?"
The Dwight Foster Public Library has undergone two additions since its initial construction in 1916. During the last expansion in 1983, architects drew up a long-range plan that said the facility would outgrow the added space in 20 years.
Today, the building is in need of more room to store its computers, CDs, videotapes and DVDs, items that did not exist at the library in the early 1980s, the librarian noted.
"We've transitioned into new media, new formats, new ways to deliver information in a building that wasn't designed for any of that," Meyer said. "Today, our electrical service is unable to meet the demands of a modern day library. Our plumbing is inadequate. We lack sufficient bathroom facilities to meet the occupancy of our building."
Among other problems, some aisles and areas do not meet accessibility requirements set in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
"We have too many steps and a difficult turn on our ramp for people with mobility challenges," Meyer said. "We are only minimally compliant with the American's with Disabilities Act."
Space in the current facility is capped at its current 84,000 items, though state guidelines show a community the size of Fort Atkinson should have a collection of approximately 91,777 items.
"We will never be able to meet the state standards for collection size for our community without making changes," Meyer said.
Crowded work spaces also limit the library staff's ability to work efficiently.
"We have such crowded staff workrooms that we are in no way complaint with ADA requirements and continually struggle with the newest change in our library service model, which brings bins of materials from other libraries (sometimes up to 12 of them) to and from our doors every day," Meyer said.
The library director previously has stated that available seating in the library is about half of what the state recommends.
"We lack seating space because we've had to lose much of it as we've added new collections and computer space over the years," she said. "Of course, with the advent of wi-fi access and that new demand, we now need more tables and seating space than ever. And about those outlets? We'd just love to add more. But we have to bow to the limitations of our current electrical system."
Meyer said she's been asked why the library needs to expand while materials are getting smaller and much of it is downloadable through computers.
"Libraries are essentially about access, regardless of format," she said. "... At the core, the library is about access. The library provides for the many what many would not be able to provide for themselves.
"The format is almost beside the point," she continued. "It's about equitable access to content. Libraries don't just bridge the digital divide. They fill it."
Del Wilson of Uihlein Wilson Architects was brief in his update on the project's progress, stating that it was on time and on budget.
On a personal note, Wilson said he was extremely pleased with the support the project has been receiving.
"Do you all realize how uplifting it is, as your architect, to come into a community and have a discussion ... - in maybe the most difficult time in a long time - ... about doing anything that spends money? You have been remarkable in that discussion," he said.
"I do a lot of library projects in the state and there's an ongoing debate about whether libraries are relevant," Wilson continued. "In the years I've been here working, I've never heard any comment from anyone we've worked with about the library not being relevant."
The architect said the community's attitude toward the Dwight Foster Public Library pushes him to do his best during the entire process.
"What it does for me is it challenges us to work harder, to work better, to find better answers for Fort Atkinson, and I think that's what we're doing," he said.
City Manager John Wilmet announced the major gifts that have been secured up until the kickoff event and offered his own remarks about the scope of the project.
"The City of Fort Atkinson values its library," Wilmet said. "We understand that everyone plays a role in its ability to be the best possible library for our community. After all, it is not up to someone else. It is our responsibility. When shared, the dream can become a reality."
Leading off the list of donors, the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation approved a $1.5 million "challenge grant" that makes up for half of the fundraising needed. To receive the grant, the remaining $1.5 million must be raised from new private donations by July 1, 2010. It can be raised in the form of cash, stocks or valid pledges.
"As the city manager, I believe that the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation's unwavering support of this, and many projects, does make all the difference in the world and really allows this community to thrive," Wilmet said.
Wilmet introduced Laurette Greenhalgh, the community foundation's president, who told members of the audience that the board reviews all requests very carefully, including the one for the library.
"This was a no-brainer," Greenhalgh said. "This project has the opportunity to benefit every single person in Fort Atkinson and beyond. We are very pleased to be a big part of that start for the library fundraising."
Wilmet also reported that the library project received a gift of $350,000 from an anonymous donor, who secured the naming rights to the children's library.
"This gift, an incredible example of generosity, speaks to us all because it makes a difference for our citizens, one by one, year by year," Wilmet said. "We are honored and appreciative to be the recipient of such philanthropy."
Jones Dairy Farm and the Jones family secured the naming rights to the adult collections of the library with their donation.
Philip Jones of Jones Dairy Farm was unable to attend the event, but he had asked Wilmet to read a statement that spoke to the importance of a healthy and vibrant library and the impact it has on the community.
"It's always been important to Jones Dairy Farm to be an active participant in helping our community, fostering growth at opportune times," Jones' statement said. "Libraries are more important now than ever. We are proud to be an early donor to the library's capital campaign.
Fort Community Credit Union was honored for its $150,000 gift. It secured the naming rights for the community meeting room.
"This generous gift was especially appreciated because it was given in the early stages of our campaign and allowed us to continue planning our design with confidence that we were able to meet our early financial obligations," Wilmet said. "The Fort Community Credit Union has demonstrated the spirit behind the word 'community' in their name."
Ron Vogel, president of the credit union, thanked those involved with the library project and said the financial institution was proud to be a sponsor.
"Projects such as this seem to get done in this community and that is because good people get involved," Vogel said. "When a need becomes evident, many times, we do not wait for government to tackle it. Good people step up and say, 'We can do this.'"
PremierBank also donated $150,000, securing the naming rights to what project leaders are referring to as the "premier entrance."
"This expansion addresses the community's commitment to our youth and the fact that education and opportunity are very high priorities for Fort Atkinson," said PremierBank President/CEO Dave Bienfang. "This will also serve us well as we compete with other communities for new business and for people to move into our city. As a banker, I understand why that is important and how it benefits all of us."
Wilmet announced the Highsmith family has secured the naming rights to the young adult library with their donation, a new area of the library that has never existed in Fort Atkinson before.
"A space for them is considered very important in a modern-day library and we are proud to be able to allocate space specifically for this age group," Wilmet said. "As teens move into adulthood, it is important to respond to their unique needs in an effort to reach them and teach them."
Fanny and the late Hugh Highsmith were designated as the honorary co-chairs for the capital campaign and understand the importance libraries after many years of operating Highsmith Inc., which marketed supplies to libraries around the country, Wilmet said.
Fanny Highsmith said the computer age has changed the needs of libraries and that the staff at Dwight Foster have done an excellent job to meet the new challenges. Simply put, however, the building is out of space.
She said she wishes her late husband, Hugh, who passed away last month, still could be here to see where the library project is going.
"With his unflagging, lifelong interest in libraries, I know he would be very pleased to see what everyone's doing," Highsmith said. "He believed, as I do, that a good public library provides a lifelong opportunity for anyone who chooses to use it. It's part of the glue that holds the community together."
Wilmet then announced the remaining major donors, which included a substantial in-kind donation for shelving from Spacesaver Corp.; the Fred Negus family and the Fort Atkinson Rotary Club, both of which secured naming rights for small group study rooms; and a donation from Mark and Valerie Kerschensteiner, who secured the naming rights to the exterior entrance featuring the original pillars.
"I was informed yesterday that we've surpassed the $1 million pledged of our $1.5 million campaign," Wilmet said. "While it might seem that we are home free and don't need you, I can assure you that we do. Five-hundred-thousand dollars is a great deal of money. We have a lot of work to do to fundraise that many dollars."
Project organizers hope to complete the fundraising campaign and the final building designs by the end of the year. A request for construction bids is set for January 2010 with the groundbreaking expected in the spring of that year.
Construction is anticipated to be completed and the library dedicated in early 2011.
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