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Library director seeks $1.7–$2.2M renovation; borough grant request and fundraising underway
Summary
The library director told council the library needs renovated, accessible spaces and small study rooms; he said the project budget is about $1.7–$2.2 million, the library applied for a Local Share Account grant of $732,000 and has raised roughly $235,000 toward the effort.
Alan, the library director, described chronic space constraints and a modernization plan that would create differentiated early‑childhood, juvenile and teen areas, add small reservable study rooms with power outlets, and improve accessibility between the levels. He said July usage was high — nearly 9,000 visits — and that current rooms used for story time and meetings are at capacity or scheduled offsite.
On funding, the director said the renovation scope is about $1.7 million in current estimates and that the project budget used for planning is around $2.0–$2.2 million to account for ADA work and contingencies. He said the library applied for a Local Share Account (LSA) grant for $732,000 and has raised about $235,000 in private pledges; he cautioned that larger items (steel shelving, etc.) remain expensive and that the trustees would need to evaluate any borough borrowing or bonding proposals.
