Douglas Library Ends FY26 Fully Spent, Eyes Accessibility Grants and New Programming

Library · Meeting of July 28, 2026

Douglas Library Board reviews balanced FY26 budget and plots accessibility grant strategy. The Library Board of Trustees, meeting July 28, approved minutes from June with two abstentions and heard Library Director Justin report that the library spent its full $144,020 municipal operational appropriation and closed trustee-managed assets at $367,000, up from $330,000 at the start of the year. Justin described a three-step path toward Massachusetts Office on Disability grant funding — self-evaluation, transition plan, then project grants — and said he had offered assistance to the newly formed town disability committee whose members include Dick Skinner, Jennifer Zipkath, and Ben Tocino.

Capital Committee Chair Mike Fitzpatrick has agreed to use a police drone to assess the library roof and shepherd the facility into the town's capital planning pipeline. The board also discussed Saturday morning movies, a Tuesday game night, and revisions to a draft community survey for the library's next strategic plan, with 72 children and 41 adults currently enrolled in summer reading.

In the full story:

• FY26 Financial Report
• Director's Report
• Accessibility — Rear Entrance and Capital Planning
• Massachusetts Office on Disability Grant
• Capital Campaign
• Friends of the Library
• The complete report — 2,495 words

Source: the Library meeting of July 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.