Easthampton Community Center still looking for about $9,500 for air conditioning system.
EASTHAMPTON - The Easthampton Community Center’s dream to raise $20,000 to cool off the massive community room is more than half realized.
“We’re halfway, we’ve raised a little over $10,000,” said Robin Bialecki, the center's executive director.
The campaign began in earnest this summer to buy a heating and air conditioning system after the Tuesday community meals had to be canceled three weeks in a row because of the heat.
The double-walled brick structure retains heat for several days even after temperatures cooled slightly forcing the cancellations. The center only has fans to cool the 2,000-square-foot space.
Once work spread about the need, people started coming through with $5 and $10 donations – and a couple of sizeable ones as well - and there were fund-raisers.
The Calvin Coolidge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Northampton Center held an ice cream social to benefit the fund, and the Maple Valley Creamery in Hadley donated ice cream for a dessert party fund-raiser.
Bialecki said they will be holding raffles and are working on other fundraising plans. They hope to be able to raise the remaining money by February at the latest so they can buy the unit and install it in March.
She said the unit will not only cool the room in the summer but heat it in winter, which means not having to turn on the oil furnace that heats the whole building, not just that room.
She said Mass Save, which has been providing advice, said while it’s a little more costly to buy, it’s very energy efficient, she said.
She said they have now about $9,500 left to raise. Anyone wanting to contribute can send a check to the Easthampton Community Center, 12 Clark St., Easthampton, MA 01027. People should write "air conditioner" or "cooling system" in the memo line, she said.