GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Public Library Foundation handed Mayor Ginny Desorgher a check for $250,000 on Monday morning, completing a $2 million pledge to reduce the taxpayer burden associated with the new library’s construction.

“You don’t see all the scars that we have for the 10 years that we’ve been working on this, raising dollar by dollar, inch by inch, mile by mile,” Greenfield Public Library Foundation President Jeanne Canteen said.

Greenfield voters approved building a new Greenfield Public Library with a 61% positive vote in 2019, seven years after the idea to construct a new library was first discussed. A $19.5 million appropriation accounted for construction costs as well as that of the architect, project manager, furniture and fixtures, as was previously explained by Library Building Committee Co-Chair Ed Berlin. In addition to a $9.4 million grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Greenfield Public Library Foundation promised to raise $2 million in donations to reduce the city’s cost. Upon the library’s opening in July 2023, Berlin shared that the project was completed nearly $1.4 million under budget.

Before presenting the check to Desorgher, Canteen said the foundation, even after hitting the $2 million goal, will continue to raise money for the library. She said since the new 26,800-square-foot building opened last summer, visits have increased by 264% and attendance at library programs has gone up by 270%.

“It’s one of the reasons the foundation is going to continue to exist. Initially, we set out to raise $2 million but it’s very clear that the city will never be able to support all the needs of the library,” Canteen said. “What we’re really trying to do is make people aware of the ‘wow’ of the library. The first year since the library opened, pretty much every number is up.”

Canteen also noted the foundation is still awaiting pledged donations promised by some community members.

Foundation Vice President Terry Ruggles said the seven-year fundraising effort, which resulted in more than 1,000 donations from community members, brought in $2.3 million, with some of that total used to cover the costs of fundraising.

“It was years of reaching out to the community, reaching out to the larger donors, people who had an interest in libraries in general and working with them to find out what areas they were interested in and how the new library will fit their philanthropic interests,” Ruggles explained. “People thought that during COVID, the chances of us raising $2 million was next to nothing.”

Channing “Joe” Bete, who owned the former Channing Bete Co. in South Deerfield, was made an honorary chair of the Greenfield Public Library Foundation in 2021. He said he became involved with the fundraising process because of his passion for public libraries.

“Libraries are the best institutions. Your passport to knowledge is right here in your community, always available to everybody at no cost in here,” Bete said. “It just seemed like a very, very natural thing to step forward.”

In her brief remarks, Desorgher thanked the foundation for its dedicated work raising the money, as well as the donors for their generosity.

“I’m just overcome by the generosity of so many people here in the city, and by the hard work of this core group,” Desorgher said. “They are just unbelievable, it’s amazing.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.