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Grand County libraries: New Juniper Library donor wall nearing completion

It’s not very often people get a chance to have their names remembered for a long, long time.

But in the new Juniper Library at Grand Lake, past and future contributors will soon see a new setting for their “immortality” as the Library’s new donor naming wall takes shape.

Tiles and naming plaques being engraved now will be installed in and around the library and on the new donor recognition wall within the next month. The engraved plaques will adorn certain areas of the library-the window seats, fireplace, and copy center, to name a few. Both the plaques and the donor wall in the entrance honor those who have given, and will give, to the Juniper Library at Grand Lake as part of the Mountain Libraries Capital Campaign.



Howard Neville painted the beautiful, aspen forest scene in the library’s entryway, which will provide the colorful background for the tiles. The names and messages of donors will be visible there and throughout the library for years to come.

“We’re very excited to announce that the final work on the new Juniper Library’s naming plaques and donor wall tiles is underway,” said Mary Anne Wilcox, executive director of the Grand County Library District.



A Spirit Lake Library Club celebration is planned to honor all donors to the Mountain Libraries Campaign as soon as the wall is fully completed and the plaques naming special areas of the library installed. Invitations will be sent to all contributors.

The new Juniper Library in Grand Lake was built with an eye toward matching the unique rustic mountain designs prevalent in the Grand Lake area. A lengthy and complete design process was followed to allow for maximum citizen input into the new library.

The log structure, located on the Town Park in Grand Lake, reflects design motifs that are used throughout the Grand Lake area. Those design motifs were incorporated into the efficient and comfortable new library.

The total square footage of the library structure is 4,500 square feet, of which the library is 3,900 square feet and the reconstructed town restrooms and town storage is 600 square feet. The Grand Lake Town Hall and the Grand Lake Community House are both located adjacent to the new structure.

The Mountain Libraries Capital Campaign continues while $295,000 still must be raised to meet the intermediate goal of $2.4 million. Unique naming opportunities are still available and donations continue to be accepted at all levels. Annually,

additional names of contributors will be added to the donor wall at the $1,000 level and higher.

The Spirit Lake Library Club includes all those who have gifted the Capital Campaign. There are many different gift categories for recognition on the donor wall.

They are:

Adams Falls ($1,000-$2,499)

Mount Cairns ($2,500-$4,999)

Tonahutu ($5,000-$9,999)

Mount Craig (Baldy) ($10,000 – $24, 999)

Never Summer ($25,000 – $49,999)

Spirit Lake ($50,000 +)

In addition, naming opportunities still exist within and on the exterior of the library for $10,000 or more.

The Grand County Library District’s original intentions when it started the campaign to build new libraries in Grand Lake and Granby was to build the new Juniper Library at Grand Lake first, followed by the new Granby Library.

But when the Granby Library was destroyed along with the Granby Town Hall on June 4, 2004, the district’s board decided to take a different approach. It determined that it was both possible and necessary to do both buildings at once.

Although it has been possible, it has put a constraint on the library district’s ability to grow its programs and services. The Granby Library was a $3.9 million project. The Juniper Library was a $2.3 million project.

People considering making a donation to the program should remember that there is a Colorado State Tax Credit because the two new libraries are located in the Colorado Enterprise Zone.

As detailed by the Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Service Division, a Colorado taxpayer who makes a contribution of $100 or more to certain eligible Enterprise Zone development projects may claim a state tax credit.

Gifts and grants to the Grand County Library District’s initiative to build the building projects in Grand Lake or Granby qualify for such a tax credit for cash and/or in-kind gifts to the Mountain Libraries Capital Campaign. The amount of the credit is 25 percent of the value of a cash contribution, or 12.5 percent of an in-kind contribution,

up to $100,000 per year.

There are a variety of ways to contribute to the campaign. The Grand County Library District accepts donations in the form of cash, check, credit card, securities or online at gcld.org with PayPal.

For more information, contact Pat Berger, Finance Administrator, Grand County Library District, P.O. Box 1050, Granby, CO 80446. Call 970-887-9411, ext. 107.

Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Juniper Library at Grand Lake is open six days a week, closed only on Tuesdays. People with a desire to see how their name could be a part of the Juniper Library should stop by the new building. It will be worth the visit.

It will provide an opportunity to see how a donor’s name can be appreciated by the public for a long, long time.

The library is located at 316 Garfield St. in Grand Lake.


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