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Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners Resource Guide Collection

2023-2024 Grant Round: Planning & Design Phase: Approvals and Appropriations

Approvals and Appropriations

At the time of application for a Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program grant, you need to have town/city votes to:

  • secure $150,000 of local funding for the Planning & Design Phase of your project
  • approve the project
  • authorize to "apply for, accept, and expend MPLCP grant funds"*

These elements may be combined into one article or separated into two depending on your assessment of what will work best in your town/city. The development of articles for individual projects should be based on local Town Bylaws, the advice of the Moderator, Town Clerk, Select Persons and/or Counsel. If a combined article is pursued, please upload the same information twice in the application under the Approvals fields.

*Note: you must secure approval to “apply for, accept and expend” the grant, not just “apply.”

Example Warrant Article
To see if the Town will vote to apply for, accept, and expend Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (“MPLCP”) grant funds if approved, and vote to raise and appropriate or take from available funds the sum of $150,000.00, or any other sum if said MPLCP grant is approved, said sum to be expended by the Town for library assessment, planning, feasibility and/or design, or act in any manner relating thereto.

 

Standard Grant: For Planning & Design, approval is given for planning activities and design work through the MPLCP Level of Design (see 605 CMR 6.08 (2)(a)).

Small Population Grant: For Planning & Design, approval is given for pre-planning and planning activities as well as design work through the MPLCP Level of Design (see 605 CMR 6.08 (2)(a)). 

The definition of an “approved public library project” as found in the MPLCP regulations is as follows:

An undertaking for the planning, alteration, construction, demolition, reconstruction, renovation, addition, expansion, extension, or rehabilitation of a public library facility as approved by a majority vote of the town at a town meeting or by a majority vote of a city council, with the approval of the mayor, in the case of a city or in a municipality having a town council form of government, by vote of the town council. (605 CMR 6.02)

These approvals are ideally obtained by the May 31, 2024 application deadline, but, given diverse town meeting schedules, the physical copies of the certified votes with Town/City Clerk embossed seals must be submitted to and received by the MBLC by 4:00pm on Friday, June 16, 2024.

Subjects: Construction