Catherine Minkiewicz and Hunter Moorman of the West Tisbury Library Foundation presented a ceremonial check for $351,068 to the West Tisbury selectmen at their meeting Wednesday night, November 21. The check represented the last payment on the foundation’s $1.8 million commitment to the town’s $6 million library renovation project.
“We are very grateful for the selectmen’s support,” Mr. Moorman, president of the foundation board said. “The funds that the foundation has raised, and before that the friends of the library that provided the seed money for the building fund — it has been a tremendous cooperative effort on the part of lots of people, you at this table and probably most of the people in this room, over a thousand donors.”
The presentation was followed by a round of applause from an overflow audience of library supporters and others.
Mr. Moorman presented West Tisbury library hats to selectmen Cynthia Mitchell, Richard Knabel and Jeffrey “Skipper” Manter and town administrator Jennifer Rand.
“We have to express our gratitude to the foundation for doing an absolutely stupendous job,” Mr. Knabel said. “You have worked on this so hard for so long. It’s gratifying that everyone has a smile on their face.”
Mr. Manter chimed in, “When everyone said it couldn’t be done your organization stepped in a difficult financial time, I don’t know how you twisted the arms to get the money out of them. You have done well and the town is grateful.”
Mr. Moorman told The Times that even though the building fund goal has been reached the foundation will continue to solicit funds for library furnishings and landscaping, an estimated $300,000. He said he expects the library to open by the middle of March.
