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Port Townsend library volunteers detail merger, pledge $165,000 for capital projects
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Summary
Friends of the Port Townsend Library described their 2024 merger with the library foundation, long-running Community Read program and pledged $165,000 for capital projects and $38,000 for programs in 2026; officials urged community membership, donations and volunteering to sustain collections and signature programs.
Cindy Johnson, president of the Friends of the Library, outlined the history and recent merger that consolidated the city’s two library-support nonprofits into a single organization and described how the group supports library programs and capital needs.
Johnson said the merged nonprofit—operating under the Friends’ name effective 01/01/2024—combined the foundation’s grant capacity with the Friends’ established membership base and volunteer operations. She told the council that the group’s work ranges from supporting the Community Read to funding capital projects such as Pink House restorations and furnishings.
Melody (library staff), who introduced the presentation, said the Community Read has run for 21 consecutive years and that the Friends previously provided $7,500 a year to buy books for the program. She described growth in distribution from about 70 giveaway copies in 2016 to roughly 500 “read-and-release” copies today and called the Community Read “a testament to our community.”
The presentation listed planned and pledged funding for 2026: $38,000 earmarked for programs (the Community Read costs about $15,000 a year, summer reading roughly $10,000 and $19,000 for collections) and a $165,000 pledge toward capital projects, including Pink House restoration and a new HVAC and elevator upgrades. Cindy Johnson said the organization aims to steward the foundation assets so they last over a multi-decade horizon rather than be spent quickly.
Speakers also reviewed volunteer operations and fundraising channels: book donations and a newly reopened Pink House bookshop, a volunteers-supported sorting facility, and specialty “creative circulating” items the Friends circulate through the library. Library staff encouraged membership, donations, volunteering and participation in book sales as ways to support ongoing programs.
The presentation closed with an invitation to events tied to the Community Read, including author appearances, guided nature talks and a community pancake breakfast earlier in the week.
The council did not take action during the presentation; staff and Friends representatives said they would continue working with the city on project details and the updated memorandum of understanding with the city that reflects the merged nonprofit’s role.
