The dream is
becoming a reality .Work has begun in earnest on the
Building
soon to be known as the New Provincetown Public Library. In early
June, an
acceptable construction bid was received from the
Scanlan Inc. In mid-September, the construction firm was on-site
working closely
with the Boston
Architectural firm of Perry Dean Rogers/Partners and in particular,
architect Warren Van Wees. In mid-November, groundbreaking ceremonies were
held and by years’
end the basement was excavated and a new foundation almost
in place.
Throughout the
construction phase, bi-weekly construction meetings are held
on site to
identify problems and to assure that the project remains on budget and
moves forward in a
timely manner. In attendance at these meetings are Scanlan
representatives; Craig Gabri and Bruce Hanna, Architect Warren Van Wees, DPW
Director David Guertin, Library Director Debra DeJonker-Berry,
Building
Committee member
Ellen Rousseau, Clerk of the Works Bill Ingraham, and
two
Board
of Library Trustee members. We are fortunate to have Bill as our
Clerk of
the Works, for he
is on the job daily overseeing all operations and making onthe-
spot decisions.
A few special
thanks: To all the Trustees for their tireless energies and efforts in
overseeing Library
policies and budgetary finances; to Maghi Geary who
left
the Board after
three terms; the Department of Public Works, David Guertin,
Sandy Turner and
their staff; the friendly staff and volunteers of the Library who
go out of their
way to be helpful and courteous;
the Friends of the
Library for their support and funding of everyday “Wishes”
for the Library,
the supporters of the Library for their continued financial
contributions; to Marcia Fair
and Debra DeJonker-Berry for their daily work on
this construction
project, overseeing every detail, and lastly to Cj
Noyes, for her
poem in honor of our
new Library:
Commercial Street
(The Flagship)
by Carol Noyes, Library Trustee.
Written for and read at the Groundbreaking,
They call you a construction site...
Though once you were consecrated
You will be whole again....
Born anew into the holy house of books
Sacred Space, for those who seek solitude
Communion Space, for those who share the love...
Of the written word
The record of history
Touch of fine paper
Weight of the bound book word
Our children will be harboured by
the “Rose Dorothea”
Beneath her sails they will enjoy storytimes
Some may learn to write their first poems
Others will sailaway on the
internet
We will sail on into the 21st century
in The Flagship
of the
With room to grow
Space to breathe
and
Light to find our way
Committee, along
with community volunteers, continued their challenging pursuit
of new donors
and new funds for the Library Building Fund.
Reporting
directly to the Trustees, the Campaign Committee is led by Trustee
and Committee
Chair Marcia Fair and Vice Chair Nancy Sirvent, along
with Trustee
Arthur Pike,
Supporter representatives Sandy Fay and Carol MacDonald, and
community
representative Gail Enos. In 2003, the Committee
sadly bade its last
good-byes to
Roberta Lasley, an inspiring ‘mover and shaker’ and
Library
aficionado who
passed away in October.
As 2003 drew to
a close, the Committee reported a total Building Fund cash
balance of
$465,912, with outstanding pledges of $71,234, bringing the total of
money raised to
$537,146 toward the $1.1 million goal. At year-end, records
indicate that
1,014 individuals had contributed to the Campaign since it was
launched in
July, 2001, many having given multiple gifts over that time period.
Contributions
came from supporters all over that United States,31 states in all,
spurring the
Campaign forward. This year, these individuals with deep ties to
Provincetown
responded generously to the invitation to help see the Library
building
reconstruction and renovation project through to completion.