House Republican Press Release

February 15, 2008

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Kalinowski Announces Grant for Durham

Grant Will Assist Durham Public Library with Research

HARTFORD- State Representative Ray Kalinowski (R-Durham) today announced that the state’s Office of Policy and Management has approved a grant for the Durham Public Library in the amount of $3,000.  The grant funds will be used to assist with making a survey of historical Durham homes available online.

The Durham Public Library has had a collection entitled “History and Architecture of Durham, Connecticut” in its collections for over twenty years.  The project was contracted by the Greater Middletown Preservation Trust, and includes survey information on historical buildings in Durham, with descriptions and photos of the homes.  The grant fund will be used to convert this collection into an online resource available to anyone interested from the comfort of their own home.  The online resource will be searchable by address, last name of the person who owned the home, and if the home has a proper name.

“This is probably the one item that we have in our collections that a lot of people do come in to look at, particularly people who have just moved into town,” said Cindy Shirshac, Assistant Director of the Durham Public Library.  “We felt it would be a beneficial resource to have all this information available online so all interested parties can search this information from the comfort of home instead of having to sit in the library and review the materials. The Library is very grateful for the grant that will allow us to do this.”

"I pursued this grant for the Durham Public Library because of my interest in Durham's rich history,” said Kalinowski.  “I am very pleased we have received funding for this meaningful project which should prove to be a valuable resource to Durham for years to come."