Schenectady County’s central branch library to be expanded
Community support played a major role in Schenectady County’s main library get an expansion, which has been a 10-year push for library officials.
Schenectady County officials, County Library Board of Trustees members, Friends of the Library and other major donors held a ground breaking ceremony on Wednesday, May 11, for the county’s central library branch 6,700 square foot expansion project, which will create a new children’s area. The addition will allow the library to bring more creative programming for children and expand the toddler and summer reading groups. Moving the children’s area will also allow for additional space for technology services including new computer stations. The first floor and the lobby will also see upgrades, which include renovations to the library’s outdated restrooms.
This has been a great example of a public and private partnership that works and I think the Library Board of Trustees and their Building Committee for their efforts, said County Legislator Gary Hughes, chair of the Education and Libraries Committee.
The County Legislature approved $1.5 million in county funds towards the project, which is matched by donations secured by the Library Board of Trustees and private grants. The Wright Family Foundation has committed $500,000, the Schenectady Foundation has committed $100,000 and the Friends of the Library committed a total of $350,000 towards the project. The county previously provided $2 million for the completed upgrades to the library’s heating and cooling, electrical, fire safety, ventilation systems and asbestos abatement.
`For us it is just showing the value that we place on children programming,` said Andy Kulmatiski, director of the Schenectady County Public Library. `It is a wonderful step forward for the community and I think it shows where our values are.`
For 10 years, said Kulmatiski, library officials have expressed the need for the project and despite difficult economic times the funding was able to be secured from the public. He said over the years $2 million have been raised for the expansion and it has been awarded over $1.5 million in grants.
Recently Senator Hugh Farley announced local libraries that were awarded construction grants, which had Schenectady County Public Library receiving $387,500 towards the expansion.
`Libraries are a place of lifelong learning that are available to everyone,` said Farley in a statement. `These funds will help improve the buildings that house vital information and allow organizations to keep up with the demands of their users; whether it be installing climate control systems so books do not deteriorate, improving entrances for people with disabilities, or upgrading wiring for Internet and computer needs.`
The bathrooms in the central branch are very old and outdated, said Kulmatiski. This also poses a problem for handicapped library patrons.
`Our bathrooms are 40 years old and a mess and not handicap accessible,` he said.
The public wanted to keep the building open not matter what, he said, so the expansion won’t disrupt normal activity greatly.
`We have found that with our programming that people need a place that is open to everyone. This is a community thing where you will always have access to it,` said Kulmatiski. `People need that to know the library is there and open when they want to come down and use it.`
Library usage, despite what some may believe, has actually gone up according to Kulmatiski.
`It is amazing how busy it is right now,` he said.
The library for years has struggled with attracting non-reader, he said, but with the online services the library has actually expanded its patron base and the expansion will help expand these demanded services.
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