Hubbardston Library Trustees Approve Up to $7,000 for Renovations and Nonprofit Work

HUBBARDSTON -- September 4, 2025, Hubbardston Library trustees authorized up to $7,000 in two separate votes at their September 4 meeting, covering a potential structural assessment and legal work to establish a Friends of the Library nonprofit. The board voted unanimously to earmark up to $3,000 from library trust or donation accounts for a structural assessment of the library's lower level, to be used only if a general contractor cannot address the key question of whether a large interior brick wall is load-bearing, as the renovation working group moves toward an RFP process for a $40,000 Community Preservation Act-funded project. A second unanimous vote authorized up to $4,000 in attorney fees to form a 501(c)(3) Friends organization, with community members Whitney Feinberg and Donna Isabelle identified as prospective president and treasurer; Library Director Christine Barbera noted that 501(c)(3) status would unlock corporate donation matching programs and grant categories currently unavailable to the library. The board also reviewed a draft ADA report estimating $156,475 in accessibility improvements, with trustees directed to correct errors including a misidentification of the library's name and responsible party before the report is finalized.