The $1.5 million fundraising drive to update and refurbish the Monroe Public Library has surpassed its goal — thanks to you, library supporters who have done something extraordinary for Monroe.

As of last week, more than $1.7 million has been pledged — support that is “overwhelming” said library director Suzann Holland.

“The entire campaign has been so gratifying,” Holland said. “The people of Monroe value the library and want it to be the very best it can be.”

Fittingly, a $250,000 donation by the children of a longtime Monroe businessman and his wife put the campaign over its goal. Fittingly, because it was their parents who gifted the building to the Monroe School District for use as a library nearly 30 years ago.

The late Lee Geiger, owner of a Monroe car dealership which became Alphorn Ford, purchased the former Monroe Clinic building at auction in 1993. Not so unusual, perhaps. What was unusual was his vision for the building.

One day after purchasing the building, Geiger approached the Monroe school board and said he and his wife, June, wanted to give the building to the district for a library. Monroe’s library is the only one in the state that comes under the jurisdiction of the school district.

The couple knew the city was in need of a larger facility; the stumbling block at the time was where to locate it.

“I had the idea of a library in the back of my mind,” Geiger said in a 1996 interview. “But if the idea wasn’t accepted, there were other alternatives.”

The school district did indeed accept the gift — providing adequate funding could be found for the project. Community response to a fundraising campaign proved successful and when a referendum was presented to voters asking for additional tax money, it passed by a 2-to-1 margin.

“June and I have enjoyed living here since 1961,” Geiger said at the time the referendum was approved, “and we wanted to give something back to the community because the community has always been good to us.” 

That gratitude was passed down to the four Geiger children, Steve, Mark, Dave and Sue who, with their spouses and families, wanted to continue the legacy started by their parents.

“Over the years, (my parents) spent a lot of time living in other states like Alaska and Florida,” Mark said. “But I can tell you that whenever (my dad) was asked, he’d tell people that his home was Monroe. Giving to the Monroe library is just a small way of thanking the people of Monroe for the support and friendship that they have given to the Geiger family over the past 60 years. It all comes down to Monroe and the people of Monroe.”

“My mother was an avid reader,” Sue said.  “She always had a book with her, usually a mystery or a biography. The library was important to her.”

One feature Lee was fond of in the current library setup is the large central stairway that serves as a focal point of the facility. The stairway needs replacing to bring it up to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The new stairway will be named after the Geigers.

Both Mark and Sue said the entire family was pleased to be a part of the library campaign and that the Monroe community has rallied around the fundraising efforts. “I know my mother and father would be pleased,” Sue said.

The current campaign will bring badly need renovations to the facility. In addition to the stairway, all restrooms in the facility need to be brought up to ADA code and space needs to be reconfigured.

“Space is always a concern,” Holland said. The renovations will offer better use of the building’s footprint and help keep the library’s technology needs up to date.

By going over the original $1.5 million goal, it allows some flexibility in dealing with rising construction costs following the COVID pandemic. Additional funds will also be used for future needs. Holland is hopeful renovations can begin in 2022.

Although the campaign has reached its goal, there is still time to make a pledge. Donations may be sent to Holland at the library.

“We want to offer Monroe the very best we can,” Holland said. “And any additional donations will allow up to keep our technological needs current. Again, it’s just so overwhelming how Monroe has turned out to support the library.”

It’s more than overwhelming. It’s extraordinary. And you did it.

— Gary Neuenschwander is on the Campaign Committee for the Monroe Public Library’s “Let’s Do Something Extraordinary For Monroe” project.