Tuesday, October 7, 2025
9:30am-7:30pm
Grinnell Library First Floor
Grinnell Library continues to evolve while remaining true to its mission of delivering what our community needs. This year we began the long-awaited exterior rehabilitation project and successfully completed Phase 1 of the renovation. The front of the library was completely restored, with careful attention given to preserving important historical details.
Just as the building is changing yet staying the same, so too are Grinnell’s programs and collections. In 2024, we expanded our programming, offering more opportunities for learning, connection, and creativity for all ages. Adventure began at Grinnell Library in the summer of 2024 with program attendance for all ages increasing 55%.
Grinnell Library is asking for a 1.5% increase in the 2026 budget. This increase will be used to offset rising costs but still provide the operating income needed.
Qualified voters will be asked to vote YES or NO on the proposition that $1,390,109 be raised by annual levy of a tax for the purpose of funding the operating budget of the library, and to elect three (3) trustees to the Board.
This vote is open to voters qualified to vote in a general election and residents within the Village of Wappingers Falls and Town of Wappinger (except the portion of the Town located within the Beacon City School District), County of Dutchess, State of New York. Voters who will be absent on the day of the vote can apply for an absentee ballot – a PDF version of the application is available through this link.
Such application must be received at least seven (7) days prior to the election (Tuesday, September 30, 2025 by 5pm) if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the vote (Monday, October 6, 2025, by 5pm) if the ballot is to be personally picked up by the voter at the Library. The Board of Trustees shall make a list of all persons to whom absentee voter ballots have been issued and have it available at the Library during regular office hours until the day of election. No absentee voter ballot shall be canvassed unless it is received no later than 5:00pm on the day of the election.
2024 Highlights
Phase I of exterior renovation completed
Increased Hours: Sundays 12- 4pm
$45,000 in grant money awarded
2024 Annual Report Statistics
Overall program attendance – 10,386
Physical Items Circulated – 136,209
Electronic Materials Circulated – 34,368
Library Visits – 51,830
Registered Borrowers – 11,215
Interlibrary Loan – Materials Received 13,156 | Materials Provided 18,600
2026 Proposed Library Budget
| Income | |
|---|---|
| District Public Funds | $1,390,109 |
| State Aid | $5,000 |
| Donations | $3,000 |
| Library Charges | $25,000 |
| Interest Income | $9,000 |
| Expenses | |
|---|---|
| Building Maintenance | $245,300 |
| Library Collection | $100,700 |
| Library Operations | $229,320 |
| Personnel | $787,789 |
| Utilities & Insurance | $69,000 |
| Total | $1,432,109 |
|---|
Trustee Candidates:
Three (3) candidates are running for three (3) seats on the Board of Trustees and will each serve three (3) years.
Beth Devine grew up in Jamaica, West Indies, and moved to Long Island with her family at the age of twelve. She graduated from Sayville High School and earned a degree in elementary education from SUNY New Paltz. Beth went on to teach third grade in the Wappingers Central School District for 30 years. She and her husband, Jack, have two daughters.
Community service has been a guiding value throughout Beth’s life. In the 1970s, she worked with a group dedicated to expanding social and educational services in Southern Dutchess and later served as president of what became the Community Services Program.
Since retiring in 2000, Beth has been an active member of the Grinnell Public Library District’s Board of Trustees. She led the 2003 renovation of the non-fiction reading room and the restoration of the library’s historic turret into a reading nook. She also served on the facilities committee responsible for the 2025 exterior renovation, which preserved the historic character of the building while ensuring its longevity as a community cornerstone.
Beth’s passion for libraries began as a teen volunteer at the Sayville Public Library and continued through her career in education. At Grinnell, she has been especially committed to enhancing the children’s room and is proud of the exterior renovation completed this year.
Beth would be honored to continue serving on the Grinnell Library Board of Trustees, bringing her experience, dedication, and vision to support the library’s mission and strengthen its role in the community.
Tom McAlister moved to Wappingers Falls in 2018. He received his Master’s in Library and Information Science from SUNY Albany in 2020 and has been working as a librarian since that time. Tom was elected as a trustee of Grinnell Library in 2022. During his first term, he served on the Governance Committee, where he helped create policies for the library, and on the Personnel Committee.
If re-elected, Tom looks forward to continuing to move Grinnell forward in a responsible manner.
Nicole Morris has been a resident of the Village of Wappingers Falls since 2008 and considers the Grinnell Public Library a truly special place. She and her family are frequent visitors, borrowing movies, attending programs, and enjoying the connections the library fosters within the community. Nicole values the opportunity to meet new people and engage with neighbors who share an interest in supporting the library.
Nicole has also been instrumental on the Facility Committee, which oversaw the extensive exterior rehabilitation renovations at Grinnell. This experience deepened her appreciation for the library’s role as a welcoming, well-maintained space for all.
If elected to the Board of Trustees, Nicole is committed to promoting the library throughout the community and supporting its mission of providing free access to a wide variety of materials to meet the needs of all patrons. Reading has always been central to her family life. In fact, a few years ago her husband built her a “Little Free Library” as a Christmas gift. This neighborhood book exchange now sits in front of their home, offering others the joy of borrowing and sharing books.