State Media Contacts
Shannon Konvicka, Communications Director
Department of Housing and Community Development
Shannon.Konvicka@vermont.gov
Richard Amore, Better Places Program Manager
Department of Housing and Community Development
Richard.Amore@vermont.gov
Local Media Contact
Barbara Ball, Director
Windsor Public Library
librarian@windsorlibrary.org
Better Places Crowdfunding campaign launched for the Windsor Public Library’s Lift Installation and Accessibility Project
The campaign seeks $10,000 to receive a 2:1 matching grant through the Better Places Program
Windsor, VT – Visitors of all abilities to Windsor Public Library will soon have an easier time accessing their children’s room, bathroom, meeting room, and historical records room. The Windsor Public Library launched a crowdfunding campaign as a final push to fully fund its lift installation and accessibility project where an additional $30,000 is needed to complete the project. The campaign is led by the Windsor Public Library and sponsored by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development’s Better Places program.
“Throughout the pandemic, libraries across Vermont stepped up and provided a safe space for people to connect, remote work, or obtain essential social and health services,” said DHCD Commissioner Josh Hanford. “On National Library Giving Day, the Department of Housing and Community Development is thrilled to support the Windsor Public Library’s efforts to create an accessible and welcoming gathering place in the heart of downtown.”
If the campaign reaches its $10,000 goal by May 22, 2022, the Windsor Public Library’s Lift Installation and Accessibility Project will receive a matching grant of $20,000 from DHCD’s Better Places program.
The funds raised will ensure that the lower level of the Windsor Public Library will be more accessible to everyone. The first part of this project is to install a lift (like an elevator, but smaller and slower) into the existing building footprint so that library visitors can access the library’s lower level without needing to traverse a full set of stairs. The bathroom will be updated for increased accessibility, including rehanging the door to open out instead of in, installing grab bars, a wall-mounted sink, and an accessible toilet. Finally, the stairs to the lower level will be rebuilt to eliminate dangerous winders and increase safety and accessibility.
“These will be wonderful and desperately needed improvements for the Windsor Public Library,” said Library Director Barbara Ball. “There are far too many Windsor residents who currently can’t use our bathroom, meeting room, or children’s room due to an inability to navigate stairs. Our library board and staff have been attempting to make the library more accessible for the last 20 years. We finally have an affordable plan that makes sense.”
Windsor residents, businesses, and neighbors ready to support this much-needed project are encouraged to get involved and support this effort to make the library more accessible to all. Learn more and support Windsor’s Public Library project here.
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About Better Places
Better Places is a community matching grant program empowering Vermonters to create inclusive and vibrant public places serving Vermont’s designated downtowns, village centers, new town centers, or
neighborhood development areas. The program is led by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development in partnership with the Vermont Department of Health, the Vermont
Community Foundation, and Patronicity, our crowdfunding experts. The program supports community-led projects that create, revitalize, or activate community gathering areas that bring people together to build welcoming and thriving places across Vermont.