Details still need to be ironed out, but it looks like the Shawano Public Library will contract with a consulting firm to determine the community’s interest in donating funds to build a new library in Shawano.
“In May, the library board agreed to use the interest from the (Anita) Hartman donation to pay for the study,” said Staci Rubenzer, library director.
A $500,000 donation from the Hartman estate to the library was made after Hartman died in March 2023. She was a longtime teacher at Bonduel High School, and the Hartman family owned and operated Retail Lumber in Shawano for many years. The donation was designated for a building project fund.
The total cost of the feasibility study has yet to be determined. The county has agreed to pay $5,000 toward the cost, and the library board agreed to use the Hartman account interest up to a maximum of $40,000.
McDonald and Schaefer is a capital and endowment campaign counsel with offices in Madison and Milwaukee. It has more than three decades of service in Wisconsin, exclusively with nonprofits.
Primary services include feasibility studies, capital campaigns, endowment campaigns and major gifts.
In Shawano, it’s expected the firm would approach potential donors to gauge interest in how much money could be raised for a new library. The process is expected to take several months.
McDonald and Schaefer is currently active in 19 campaigns with an aggregate goal of $298 million for nine sectors. Among the largest campaigns are $35 million for a sports and recreation center, $35 million for a performing arts center, $30 million for a hospice center and $30 million for a human services agency.
Other projects include a private school, community food center, animal welfare shelter, rural health care system, community food pantry, public zoo, senior living center, veterans memorial center, family resource center, children’s museum, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, medical center, early education and care and an equine therapy center.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
