Press Release

Submitted to Hampshire Gazette April 15, 2008:

Residents of Hatfield were likely wondering about the group of men in dark suits walking around the center of town one afternoon in late March. They were representatives of architectural firms interested in submitting a proposal for an RFQ – Request for Qualifications – to work on a feasibility study for a possible new public library in Hatfield.

The Trustees of Hatfield Public Library, with lots of help from Library Director Sheila McCormick, received a Planning and Design Grant of $40,000 from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. This money was matched with $20,000 from other sources including $8,000 voted at Town Meeting in May 2007.

A committee of nine Hatfield residents was selected to comprise the Library Facilities Needs Assessment Committee – or LFNAC for short. This group has been meeting every two weeks to gather together the raw materials for a feasibility study that will be conducted by an architectural firm yet to be chosen.

Fifteen proposals were submitted by the April 12 deadline. Those proposals will now be read and rated by members of LFNAC and narrowed to the top 3 or 4 semi-finalists.

The process is not a speedy one. LFNAC expects to present a recommendation for a new or renovated library at Town Meeting in May of 2009. In the meantime, Hatfield residents can keep up-to-date at the Hatfield LFNAC blog at http://hatfieldlfnac.blogspot.com/ where all committee minutes are posted.

Meetings are open to the pubic and interested residents are invited to attend. LFNAC meets every 2 weeks on Saturday mornings. Contact any of the following members for details on place and time: Chair, Harold Green; Vice-Chair and Historical Commission Representative Lynn Omasta; Secretary and Library Trustee Representative, Dodie Gaudet; Martin Antonetti; Milton Howard; Susan Gaughan; Mary Williams; Mike Paszek; or Library Director Sheila McCormick.