State grants to provide windfall for South Deerfield, Orange libraries

By Chirs Larabee Staff Writer, Greenfield Recorder, 7/12/2022

Wheeler Memorial Library in Orange FILE PHOTO

Between sets of music on Tilton Library’s lawn on Monday, Library Director Candace Bradbury-Carlin and several trustees took the stage to share some long-awaited news for library patrons and Deerfield residents.

After sending in a grant application to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) back in 2017, Tilton Library in South Deerfield was finally awarded a $3.94 million grant on July 7, which will help fund an extensive expansion and renovation project the library has been eyeing for more than a decade.

On top of Tilton’s grant, Wheeler Memorial Library in Orange was awarded a nearly $5.22 million construction grant from the MBLC.