Progress Report – March 2023

The Expansion Project has made great strides in the past four months. We’ve seen the dirt work and raising of the steel beams, and now the walls are beginning to take shape. See the photos below for a bit of a timeline.

The grand staircase in the empty library
Preparing the site for the steel which will form the expansion portion of the project
Getting ready to place the final beam – the fir tree symbolizes a work site with no accidents
The walls are going up

Groundbreaking a rousing success

We had a wonderful day for a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Keene Memorial Library Expansion Project! Browse some of the wonderful photos taken by Kaley Schlueter Photography below.

Thank you bags assembled by our planning committee came complete with a cookie, water, donation form and a tiny shovel.
Thank you bags assembled by our planning committee came complete with a cookie, water, donation form and a tiny shovel.
MCL Construction provided an excavator as a backdrop for the presentation. And of course, shovels and hard hats.
MCL Construction provided an excavator as a backdrop for the presentation. And of course, shovels and hard hats.
Our Mayor (Joey Spellerberg) with his wife Ashley, who helped organize the event.
Our Mayor (Joey Spellerberg) with his wife Ashley, who helped organize the event.
The crew, hard at work! From L: City Administrator Jody Sanders, Friends Board President Denise Kay, Library Director Laura England-Biggs, Mayor Joey Spellerberg, Library Board President Linda McClain, City Council President Mark Legband, City Council Library Liaison Sally Ganem
The crew, hard at work! From L: City Administrator Jody Sanders, Friends Board President Denise Kay, Library Director Laura England-Biggs, Mayor Joey Spellerberg, Library Board President Linda McClain, City Council President Mark Legband, City Council Member and Library Liaison Sally Ganem
Members of the professional services team and steering committee
L-R back row: James Kramer, Brent Suing, Ben Gifford from MCL Construction, Bart Thomsen from Rainwood Development Partners,
L-R front row: Denise Kay, Jody Sanders, Linda McClain, Laura England-Biggs, Sally Ganem, Barbara Christensen, Greg Tice from SPT Architecture

Library Move Update

Well, it’s been a long few months since we updated you on the Expansion Project progress. The Library closed August 1 in order to pack up all the contents and prepare for the separate moves to the City Auditorium/Storage.

The first step was labeling each shelf to make organizing the collection at the other end easier.
We then had to pack in two phases – what went to the Auditorium and what went to Storage
The storage items went into the Large Meeting Room until the second phase of the move.
All the while, we were planning the way the shelves would fit in the Main Arena of the City Auditorium.
We laid Builder’s Board to protect the vinyl flooring.
Several thousand boxes later, we were ready to move into the Auditorium.
It took about a week and a half, but the mini-collection was in place and ready for us to soft open
on Tuesday September 13.
The doors opened on the temporary Library at shortly after 3 pm.

Support the Expansion Project!

The Friends of Keene Memorial Library are once again sponsoring the Expansion Project during the Fremont Area Big Give. Early giving is available now, or you can donate on Tuesday May 10.

We have an anonymous sponsor who will match the first $5,000 in donations, and the Rupert Dunklau Foundation matching grant is still in play. So you can effectively triple your donation during this campaign!

https://www.fremontareabiggive.org/organizations/friends-of-keene-memorial-library

Matching Grant Received

The Rupert Dunklau Foundation has extended a generous matching challenge grant to the Library Expansion Project. Pledges and gifts from new, returning, and lapsed donors will be matched up to $100,000. The Library has until December 31, 2022 to meet the challenge. As of this posting, we are 1/4 of the way to our goal of $100,000.

If you would like to be part of this fundraising effort, contact the Library at 402-727-2694 or email Laura England-Biggs for more information.

Fundraising Continues – Holiday Update

The Expansion Project has received several large foundation gifts and donations since our last update. We stand at approximately $7,140,000 raised or committed towards our $9.4 million goal. The support from the community and donors is so appreciated.

We are thrilled to once again have our Holiday Tree lit up from dusk until dawn thanks to an anonymous donor. The tree has a beautiful mix of red, white and blue lights this year.

Project Receives Grant from Peter Kiewit Foundation

The City of Fremont and Keene Memorial Library (KML) are proud to announce award of a grant of $500,000 from Peter Kiewit Foundation.  The grant will support the planned renovation and expansion project for Keene Memorial Library.

Opened in 1971, renovation of Keene Memorial Library will provide ADA accessibility, updated technology, a dedicated computer lab, designated areas for adults, teens & children, expanded community meeting room space and an outdoor courtyard. The $9.4 million project received original support from the Hazel Keene Trust and in 2018, voters in Fremont unanimously passed a $2 million bond in support of the project.

“We are honored and extremely grateful to receive support from Peter Kiewit Foundation” said Laura England-Biggs, KML Library Director. “This grant moves us significantly closer to our fundraising goal; we hope it will inspire other donors to participate in this project which will serve as a community hub for years to come.”

Service Clubs Commit to Expansion Project

The Fremont Rotary Club has committed $5,000 towards the Expansion Project. securing naming rights to a bench in the outdoor courtyard..

The Fremont Kiwanis Club secured naming rights to the Children’s Activity Room with their $25,000 pledge, which will be honored over three years.

L-R: Club President Blair Horner, Past-President Jamie Luebbe, Library Director Laura England-Biggs, Library Board Vice-President Linda McClain, Mayor Joey Spellerberg