Community Organizes Fundraising For Fire-Ravaged Library

PLEASANT VALLEY, NY — A devastating fire on Election Day has shuttered the Pleasant Valley Free Library located on Route 44 in Pleasant Valley in Dutchess County. Library officials said the facility will be closed indefinitely.

"We are currently awaiting the final reports from the fire inspector, insurance company and cleaning service," a notice on the library's website. "Please know that we are working diligently behind the scenes to evaluate and move forward."

The library's administration said it will likely be several days or more before any definite plans can be announced.

They also said that as soon as the insurance company gives the OK they will begin the process of moving into a temporary location.

The library said it cannot accept physical items at this time, but they have posted a "Donate" button on the the library's website. Their mailing address is PO Box 633, Pleasant Valley, NY 12569.

"We have been saying for years that a library is not simply its collection; it is the connections, the feelings, the memories, the stories, the opportunities, the untapped potential waiting to expand our minds," Daniela Pulice, library director, said.

"The library is a community. And that isn't something that can be destroyed," she said.

The community has established a fundraising website for the library.

Organizer Vanessa La Rocca, of Pleasant Valley, wants to raise $100,000.

On the GoFundMe page for the Pleasant Valley Free Library, the board of trustees wrote that thousands of town residents use the library in myriad ways — "from early childhood education classes and technology training to craft clubs and yoga — in addition to it serving as one of the most prolific providers of books in the Mid-Hudson Library Network."

Donations of any amount — from $5 to $5,000 — "will help them address the costs associated with restoration as expeditiously as possible."

To donate via GoFundMe, go here.

Firefighters were called to the library after a smoke alarm sounded around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6.

No staff or patrons were in the building at the time of the fire, officials said.

Patch is a GoFundMe promotional partner.

Get Mid-Hudson Valley Patch’s daily newsletters and news alerts right in your inbox. Find and “Like” Hudson Valley Patches' Facebook Pages.

Photo credit: Courtesy of GoFundMe.