The local library is holding a grant recognition event on Tuesday Dec. 19.
Selena Martens, Parry Sound Public Library CEO, says the event kicks off at 3 PM.
“We will be acknowledging and celebrating a grant that was received this year from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation through their rural enhancement stream. The grants contributed towards allowing us to replace the libraries’ three rooftop mounted heating and cooling units,” she says.
Martens says the old units were installed 23 years ago and are well past their life expectancy.
She says in September the library replaced them with three brand new carrier units thanks to the NOHFC grant covering 75 per cent of the $45,000 price tag and the Town of Parry found contributing towards the remaining 25 percent, along with some added help from the library board’s own savings as well.
Martens adds the library is funded not only by the Town of Parry Sound, but with three contracting municipalities, the Township of the Archipelago, the Township of Carling, and the Municipality of McDougal.
She says the library board has been aware that the furnaces were at the end of their life and that they needed to be replaced for a couple of years.
“We started pursuing this grant just late last year, so once we had everything in place and we applied for the grant, it was very fast moving. It took less than a year with the help of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation to get everything handled,” she says.
Martens says on Tuesday, Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith, Parry Sound Mayor Jamie McGarvey and the chair of the library board, Tom Lundy, will all be speaking at the event.