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Port Washington library to close for two weeks for renovation; broadband and Wi‑Fi upgrades planned
Summary
The library will close for roughly two weeks beginning this week for carpet, desk and bathroom work paid by a grant; staff said the library will reopen Oct. 6 if schedule holds and that broadband and Wi‑Fi upgrades will double connection speeds.
The Port Washington Public Library will close for roughly two weeks for renovations and equipment installation, the library director told the Port Washington Library Board. Staff said contractors will install new carpet, remove and replace the circulation desk, remake bathrooms, reconfigure the children’s desk and remodel the community room; one lower-level floor and some longer-lead items will be completed later.
The director said the library’s target is to reopen on Oct. 6, but cautioned that some work could slip and that the reopening might be delayed by a few days if finishing touches remain. “If you've never been through a remodeling project, there's always something that comes up,” the director said.
Work will also include information-technology upgrades paid by the project grant. The library has contracted AT&T for a faster broadband connection; staff said the new service will be about 300 Mbps up and 300 Mbps down. The director said the library is reworking its network architecture, installing a hardware cabinet and deploying multiple high-capacity Wi‑Fi routers (the plan anticipates 15 routers for full coverage). Staff are considering whether to adopt Wi‑Fi 7 hardware now or remain on Wi‑Fi 6, noting some client devices may not be compatible with Wi‑Fi 7.
Staff described the schedule for moving shelving and furniture during the closure and said some donated and re-used furniture (found at OFR) will be integrated after installation. The friends group has offered to buy additional shelving near the elevator, the director said.
Board members asked about volunteer help while the library is closed; staff said they will ask for volunteers once the contractor plan is finalized but cautioned against asking volunteers to do heavy lifting or hazardous tasks. The director said most of the project is covered by the grant and that staff will finalize network configurations with the Monarch systems person and vendor representatives prior to reopening.
No formal vote was taken on the renovation during the meeting.
