Moultonborough Public Library receives $15,000 grant for new air handler

MOULTONBOROUGH — For the second year in a row, the Moultonborough Public Library is the recipient of a $15,000 Sustainable and Resilient New England Libraries Grant. Funding  provides opportunities for New England libraries to enhance their sustainability and resiliency efforts. Grant funds are dispersed by the Association for Rural & Small Libraries and made possible through the Manton Foundation. Funds received by the Moultonborough Public Library will offset the cost of replacing one of the library’s air handlers with a more modern and energy-efficient unit. 

The replacement of the library’s air handler unit will be completed by the end of 2025. The current unit uses R-22 refrigerant that is now restricted by the EPA due to its now-known contribution to climate change. The new unit will utilize the more modern R410-A refrigerant, a more environmentally- and financially-sustainable substance.

In addition, the new unit will provide reliable heating and cooling to the library. It is a location named in the Town of Moultonborough’s Hazard Mitigation Plan as a heating and cooling center for vulnerable populations, including children, seniors, and those with chronic illness or disabilities, and others who may be at risk of injury or death due to extreme heat or cold.

With more than 36,000 visits to the library in 2024, an increase in room reservations totaling nearly 1,000 in one year, and a 16% increase in program attendance, the Sustainable and Resilient New England Libraries Grant allows the Moultonborough Public Library to continue to provide its community with a reliable and healthy space for individuals and groups to gather. 

Learn more about the Association for Rural & Small Libraries at arsl.org and the Manton Foundation at mantonfoundation.org. Visit the library at moultonboroughlibrary.org.