West Chester Public Library asks borough for immediate repairs, outlines longer-term capital needs

West Chester Public Library leaders told borough council on Tuesday evening they face active water intrusion, failing custom windows, and a roof nearing the end of its service life and asked the borough for short-term help while pursuing grants for larger projects.

"Today, the library faces urgent capital needs that threaten both our ability to serve and the preservation of our historic building," Deborah Ney, board president of the West Chester Public Library, said in remarks to council. She asked the borough to help the library plug immediate leaks and to support an architectural and engineering survey so the board can plan longer-term work.

The library’s building committee chair, Kelly, walked council through the cost estimates for the repairs. She said a semi-permanent repair to stop a patio leak would cost about $15,000, with additional interior repairs likely around $5,000. Kelly said a replacement of the patio membrane to stop recurrence is estimated at roughly $150,000 to $200,000, and that the roof — while not currently leaking — will likely need replacement in two to three years at an estimated $135,000. She told council an architectural and engineering survey would cost about $5,000.

Nut graf: Library leaders emphasized they have pursued grants and raised funds but said the scale of building repairs exceeds what private fundraising alone can achieve and asked the borough to consider short-term aid and to account for library capital needs in the 2026 budget.

Council members noted the library’s hybrid status as a nonprofit public library governed by state library laws and constrained by a requirement the board spend 12% of its budget on materials per the borough’s description of library code obligations. Library vice president Shannon McDonald described ongoing fundraising: the library’s holiday home tour typically raises $50,000 to $80,000, and a capital campaign has so far gathered a few hundred thousand dollars; the board is also applying for a Keystone grant with a November 22 application deadline and has applied this year for a T‑Mobile hometown grant.

Council finance staff said the borough’s preliminary 2026 budget — the council moved that budget to the next (voting) session for formal action — includes the 0.15‑mill library millage and line items tied to library support. At the work session borough staff reported the preliminary budget currently lists $110,000 in annual library millage allocation, $15,000 under public works for library maintenance, and a $115,000 capital expense line for a patio/roof replacement estimate. Council members and library leaders discussed options including short-term borough payment of the patio repair, grant-matching strategies for Keystone and other grants, and limits on the library taking on more debt because of state library spending rules.

Library board members said they have audited finances and a small mortgage on the building. Board members and some councilors discussed refinancing, the complications of deed restrictions on lending, and whether transferring land or raising a millage would be appropriate — options councilors said would need more study and legal review. Library representatives stressed they were not asking the borough to cover every expense immediately; their urgent asks were limited to the roughly $15,000 patio caulking repair, about $5,000 for immediate interior work once the leak is stopped, and funding or help to procure an architectural/engineering survey (roughly $5,000), which they said would let the board plan a multi‑year capital program.

Quotations and sourcing: Direct quotes and cost figures above come from the library’s presentation to the borough council (remarks by Deborah Ney, Kelly, and Shannon McDonald). Council staff numbers for the preliminary 2026 budget — including the 0.15 millage, a $110,000 millage allocation, $15,000 in public‑works library maintenance and a $115,000 CapEx line — were read on the record during the council work session.

Ending: Councilors asked administration to include the library’s urgent short‑term request in the coming budget discussion and to return the 2026 preliminary budget for formal action at the next public meeting. Library leaders said they would continue to pursue grants and private fundraising and preferred to see the borough address the short‑term patio repair and fund the architectural survey so longer‑term work could be planned.