Library raises needed funds

MATAMORAS — Facing growing demand and insufficient funding, the Pike County Public Library held “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Gala at the Riverview Inn on Saturday evening. About 160 local residents and library supporters attended the event and raised over $150,000. Maleyne Syracuse, chair of the building taskforce, said she was “overwhelmed by the community support.” The status of the library was in “a great place,” but there is still much work to be done, including getting the borough’s approval, she said. Syracuse also confirmed that a large portion of the estate of John Murphy, a former employee of the library, will be given to the new project. That totaled $434,000. In addition a pending state grant totals $2 million. These funds will benefit support services in all of the library’s branches, the library’s overall operational fund, and the capital campaign for the proposed new main branch of the library. The fundraiser included an outdoor cocktail hour, dinner, a silent and live auction, and live music and dancing. Many of auction items were donated by local businesses, and volunteers were provided by RYOT, Rallying Youth Organizers Together. She added that there is a large focus on system-wide service enhancement and that additional funding is necessary. Syracuse said that although library services have outpaced population growth since 2000, funding from the county has remained the same over the past ten years. In 2007, annual circulation rates increased by 23 percent. The most excitement of the evening centered on what many attendees described as the “slow but steady” progress of the new main branch project. In her opening remarks, Rebecca Lindsey, chair of the dinner committee, called the project “the best thing to happen in Pike County in many years.” Architect Frederic Schwartz made a presentation to the crowd, going over the plans and providing updates that were made as talks with Milford’s architectural review board continue. Among the handful of updates to the design were the size and proportion of the windows, to match a more historic appearance, and the addition of ivy covering some portions of the exterior walls. US Representative Chris Carney attended the dinner and commented that he was working to get partial funding for the new library through the federal government, calling it one of his “main priorities.” He also said that he was confident the library would be built. “When something has this kind of community support, it is bound to succeed,” he said. “It will happen if we want it to happen,” added Sean Strub, the evening’s auctioneer. Those in attendance consisted of both longtime Pike residents and those new to the area looking for a way to support the community. Many told the Courier that some of the best features of the library are its environmentally friendly design, increased ability to serve younger people in the community, and incorporation of much needed meeting space. According to Centa Quinn, member of the library’s board of directors, there will be a picnic fundraiser in September for the community to attend. The most important thing, she said, was for citizens to “get the facts” about the project.