The staff at the Robert A. Frost Memorial Library is pleased to announce that the contract for the new library addition has been awarded to A&L Construction of Presque Isle. B.R Smith Associates developed the design for the addition after meeting numerous times with the Library Building Committee.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
The leaves and stones on the “Tree of Knowledge” can be purchased outright or pledged over a 10-year period of time.
The construction is scheduled to begin within the next couple of weeks and will last approximately five to six months. When the project is completed, 4,000 square feet will have been added to the library, making the library ADA compliant and creating more space for books, programs and technology, according to librarian Rea Caldwell.
“The road to this expansion has been long, but completely worthwhile,” said Caldwell. “Leitha Doughty was the inspiration for this project when, as chairperson of the Library Board of Trustees, she asked that a Library Building Fund be established as a separate entity from the General Library Memorial Fund.”
According to Caldwell, the journey officially began 10 years ago on April 7, 1999 when the first meeting of the Robert A. Frost Memorial Library Expansion Committee.
At that first meting, members were informed that $69,400 was available for the proposed project that was projected to cost $425,000.
“Committee members were asked to come back to the next meeting with fund-raising ideas,” Caldwell said. “The members did come back with their ideas and the fund-raising has been ongoing ever since: the library has sold tote bags, T-shirts, and cookbooks as well as hosting annual walk-a-thons, raffles, a spaghetti supper and a very successful ‘Wishing Well’ campaign. The money grew over the years, as did the cost for the project.”
The Library Focus Expansion Committee was formed in April 2008. According to Caldwell, this hard working group of volunteers took on the task of conducting a “Tree of Knowledge” Capital Campaign to raise the remainder of the monies needed for the addition. The Focus members have been successful in their combined efforts and “we have reached the construction phase at long last,” Caldwell said.
“Even though the construction is beginning, the fund raising is not ending,” she added. “The library’s ‘Tree of Knowledge’ is a lasting and unique way for individuals, families and businesses to remember or honor loved ones. The leaves and stones on the “Tree of Knowledge” can be purchased outright or pledged over a 10-year period of time,” Caldwell explained. The leaves start at $500 and the stones cost $2,000. Individuals interested in purchasing a leaf or stone can do so by contacting Caldwell at 325-4706 or Marilyn King, chair of the Board of Trustees, at 325-4971.
