WAYNESBORO — On October 3, 2023, patrons of the Alexander Hamilton Memorial Free Library (AHMFL) received a much-needed lift.
In 2019 as part of a larger renovation, an ADA-compliant wheelchair lift was added. Installing the lift ensured equal access to AHMFL’s collections and programming and made transporting books, strollers, equipment, and program and event supplies more manageable.
But by 2023, AHMFL’s elevator was showing signs of wear, alerting the staff that the elevator needed some upgrades to continue to safely serve the community. The doors had to be updated and the battery pack replaced. However, AHMFL had no money in the budget for the $25,000 in needed repairs.
That’s when Sue James, co-president of AHMFL’s board of directors, took action. Knowing the Alexander Stewart, M.D. Foundation has previously funded programming and facility projects in the library’s MakerSpace, James wrote to the funder in January 2023 requesting help.
In July 2023, the Alexander Stewart, M.D. Foundation awarded AHMFL $10,000 for the uplifting repairs.
James sees the elevator as an important piece of their mission. “We have to have that elevator because it increases access to book and other materials, regardless of ability. Half our book selection, including all nonfiction, is upstairs as well as the community room, kitchen, and meeting rooms. Senior citizens, those with mobility issues, moms with strollers, all of them use the elevator to get to the second floor. It also allows us to safely transport books, equipment, and supplies. The elevator is vital to our services and we are so grateful for the Alexander Stewert Foundation!”
To learn more about AHMFL’s programs, donate to the library, or find your next read, go to ahmfl.org or visit AHMFL on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
