Belleville Public Library's Building Campaign Gets Boost with $30,000 Grant from Madison Community Foundation

The Madison Community Foundation has awarded a $30,000 Community Impact grant to the Belleville Public Library. The funds will support the “It Takes a Village” capital campaign for a new Library and Community Center.
“Libraries are among our community’s greatest assets, and we’re thrilled to support Belleville Public Library’s vision for the future,” said Tom Linfield, Vice President of Community Impact, Madison Community Foundation. “The new library will not only expand its current offerings, it will strengthen community connections, bring more people downtown, and become the heartbeat of Belleville for years to come.”
Plans call for a 16,700-square foot, one-story building located at the former Landmark Mill site on S. Park Street, and the adjoining residential lot. The house at the site is being moved this spring.
The new Library and Community Center will include expanded space for children and teens, quiet work areas, public access computers and WiFi, various sized meeting rooms, and a community room with kitchen. The Madison Community Foundation grant will sponsor the kitchen, which will be used for both library programs and community events. The community center area will have a separate entrance so that it is available for a variety of community programs, meetings, and trainings when the library is not open.
Belleville’s 140-year history of library use remains strong with the current facility offering services to approximately 3,300 residents of Belleville and the surrounding area.
“Belleville’s library is incredibly well used,” said Library Director Bronna Lehmann. “More than doubling our square footage will allow us to expand our current library services while providing the meeting and community gathering spaces that local residents and businesses have asked for.”
On an average weekday, 153 people come into the library. Attendance at library-sponsored classes and programs for children and adults topped 5,500 in 2017. Over 75,000 books, DVDs, audiobooks, and other items are borrowed annually.
A strong school-library partnership provides Belleville teachers with library materials for classroom use. Over 4,300 items, valued at approximately $75,000, were used at Belleville schools during the 2016-17 school year.
The capital campaign has raised $675,000 toward the required $1 million for the Village to contribute $2 million toward the project.
The Schlect Family Foundation recently announced they will match gifts or five-year pledges on a 1-to-1 basis, up to a total of $150,000.
Building a new library is a big project for a small town. While gifts of any size are greatly appreciated, please consider a multi-year pledge from your family or business as an investment in Belleville’s future.
Pledges to the Belleville Library Building Fund at Madison Community Foundation can be paid in convenient installments by check or automatic EFT payments. For example, a $1,000 Library Lovers pledge can be paid in $20 monthly installments. Donors will be recognized in the new building. All contributions are tax deductible.
Madison Community Foundation’s mission is to enhance the common good through philanthropy. Established as a community trust in 1942, Madison Community Foundation, together with donors, awards some $10 million every year to strengthen causes and communities in Dane County and around the world.
Information about the Belleville Public Library and Community Center project and options for making a donation can be found at www.bellevillelibrary-wi.org/new-library or picked up at the current library at 130 S. Vine Street. Please contact Library Director Bronna Lehmann at (608) 424-1812 with any questions.