The Morrill Memorial & Harris Library in Strafford, the Tenney Memorial Library in Newbury and the George Peabody Library in Thetford received large grants for repairs and capital improvements from the Vermont Department of Libraries on Friday.
The Morrill Memorial & Harris Library received $115,000. Melissa Strayton, librarian at the Morrill Memorial & Harris Library, said the library will use the funds to replace the roof and add insulation to the 100-year-old building, which she said has a historic character.
“We are very pleased to have been a recipient,” Strayton said.
The Tenney Memorial Library also received $80,000 and the George Peabody Library received $220,000.
The Vermont agency is administering the grants, called the Public Facilities Preservation Initiative Grants, with funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In total, the Vermont agency awarded 32 grants ranging from $60,000 to $400,000 to libraries in 11 counties.
“The Department of Libraries is thrilled to support capital improvements to public libraries, which are crucial community resources,” Catherine Delneo, state librarian and commissioner of libraries, said in Friday’s announcement.
“This is an exceptional opportunity for Vermont, because federal funding of this nature is rarely available,” Delneo said.