By KENNEDY GRIFFIN
(Deerfield, MA) Deerfield’s Public Library is getting a 12.3 million historical remodel and expansion. The original cost of the project was estimated at $8 million, but as many projects in the area have experienced, the costs have increased significantly since the COVID pandemic began. There will be a town meeting in October where residents will have the opportunity to speak on whether they’d like to continue with the project or not.
The director of Deerfield’s Tilton Library, Candace Bradbury-Carlin, said that in addition to the $4 million “Writing Our Next Chapter” grant they have applied for, they are also appealing to Governor Baker for federal ARPA funds. Senator Jo Comerford has been working with the library board and the town select board to keep them informed of the status of the grants.
Senator Jo Comerford will be visiting the Tilton library on Saturday, September 24th from 2 to 3 p.m. on her library tour. On Saturday, Sen. Comerford will also be visiting the Greenfield Public Library from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and Sunderland’s library from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. This will wrap up the Senator’s library tour that was continued this summer after pausing during the pandemic.