Centre County Library seeks borough support to make Girl Scout Little House accessible

Centre County Library and Historical Museum leaders told the Bellefonte Borough Council work session they are pursuing a redesign of the porch and stairway at the Girl Scout Little House to correct noncompliant steps and provide ADA access.

"We've been working on some plans to reconfigure the porch and the sidewalk of the Girl Scout Little House," said Denise Stieker, Executive Director of the Centre County Library and Historical Museum, noting the structure sits behind the Miles-Humes House and is leased long-term to Friends of the Girl Scout Little House. She said the proposal grew from plans to replace unsafe steps into a broader plan to add an accessible ramp and compliant railings.

Chair of the library's property committee, John Sengel, walked council through packet photos and preliminary drawings prepared by structural engineer Brian Chilton. Sengel said two mid-range design options would provide an ADA-compliant ramp into the Girl Scout Little House and a compliant stairway with railings down into the museum's children'9s garden; a third option that removed the stairway entirely was rejected by stakeholders.

"Those steps are not code compliant. They don't have railings. They're out of alignment, and we're concerned from a liability standpoint," Sengel said. He said the drawings are preliminary and would need code review and final engineering before a formal bid.

Library leaders identified three stakeholder groups: the Centre County Library and Historical Museum (which owns the site), the Friends of the Girl Scout Little House (the tenants), and the Bellefonte Garden Club (which uses the site for planting and events). Stieker told council the parties have discussed funding sources and plan to pursue grants and local partners. "We were unsuccessful in an application with the Centre Foundation Giving Circle," she said, "but we were encouraged to apply to one of their other programs. We also applied to the American Association of University Women and expect notification in mid-November." Stieker also said the Garden Club and the Friends tenant group have resources to contribute.

Contractor estimates provided as ballpark figures in the packet ranged "between about $60,000 and $62,000," Sengel said; he emphasized these are preliminary and that formal bids will require finalized plans. Councilors asked about ramp slope and railing requirements; Sengel said the elevations were prepared with compliance in mind and that railings will be included in the final design.

Library staff asked the borough to keep the project on its radar and indicated they would welcome financial assistance once detailed drawings and bid-ready documents are available.

The presenters offered to follow up with more detailed engineering and cost estimates; no formal council action was requested during the work session.