East Forest Park library project gets boost with donation

Oct. 4, 2018 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

William Wagner, president of the Chicopee Savings Charitable Foundation, presented a $100,000 contribution to the new East Forest Park building fund.
Reminder Publishing photo by G. Michael Dobbs

SPRINGFIELD – The public part of the fundraising campaign of a new library in East Forest Park received a significant boost with a $100,000 donation from the Chicopee Savings Charitable Foundation on Sept. 27.

The president of the foundation, William Wagner, said “It’s fun being Santa Claus.”

Wagner added the foundation has a mission to help fund projects that have programs that aid children and the elderly.

The event took place at the current branch, which has been located in retail space on Island Pond Road. The branch is one of the busiest locations in the city’s library system, but has only 4,100 square feet. The new building will have 17,000 square feet of community space, including special areas for children and teens, a community room, study rooms, dozens of public computers, and a maker space.    
Mayor Domenic Sarno said, “Bill Wagner has been a steadfast community partner in Springfield.”

Patrick Markey, chair of the Springfield Library Foundation, said the Chicopee Savings Charitable Foundation is “an example of an organization that gives more than it takes.”

To honor the donation, Markey said the adult reading area will be named after the foundations.

He said the campaign is now more than halfway to its goal.

The Springfield Library Foundation launched the $2 million capital campaign one year ago to support the replacement of the current branch library with a new building. The new facility will break ground at 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 15. The completion of the library should be next fall.

The Commonwealth contributed $4.9 million in grant money for the project with $2 million being raised by the Library Foundation.
 

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