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Library facelift benefit caps fundraising

By Staff | Aug 2, 2012

A check for $15,000 raised by the Rotary Club of Lahaina’s “Savor the Sunset” benefit for the facelift of Lahaina Public Library wins smiles from (left to right) Branch Librarian Madeleine Buchanan, Maui Friends of the Library’s Beth Ivy and Dorothy Tolliver, Project Coordinator Sara Foley and Rotary Club President Liz May.

LAHAINA – The Maui Friends of the Library received a $15,000 check from the Rotary Club of Lahaina to cap its three-year campaign to fund the facelift for the historic Lahaina Public Library that is scheduled to begin soon.

The interior facelift is estimated to take eight weeks, during which time the library will be closed. The final date of closing will be announced by the Hawaii State Public Library System once all government clearances are completed.

Patrons can call the library at 662-3950 for details throughout the closure period.

Liz May, Rotary Club of Lahaina president, said that she was particularly grateful to all of the businesses that donated auction items this year, and to the Royal Lahaina Resort where the benefit is held.

“We had great auction items from West Maui but also from businesses in Central and Upcountry. The food the chefs at the Royal Lahaina prepared was excellent, and the J.D. Rocks Band couldn’t have been any better,” she said.

All together, the Rotary Club of Lahaina has raised $32,200 for the library project starting in 2010, when the club, along with the nonprofit Maui Friends of the Library, purchased new adult furniture for the library to replace tables and chairs damaged by termites.

Rotary’s support has spurred many more donations, including grants or contributions from the Atherton Family Foundation, North Beach West Maui Fund, Kaanapali Beach Hotel, Peter and Debra Martin Foundation, O.L. Moore Foundation, Robert and Carol Coe, Ho’ilio House and countless individuals.

The Maui Friends of the Library receives and manages all the funds raised. The nonprofit has established a separate bank account for the Lahaina Public Library facelift donations and will oversee disbursements.

The project involves replacing the tile floor in the public area of the library, purchasing all new bookcases and computer tables, painting the interior and building a new circulation desk. Local contractors are donating much of the labor involved. There also are plans to landscape the Front Street side of the library in 2013.