SCHENECTADY — More than $1 million has been raised through donations and from state grants to help pay for the new Mont Pleasant branch of the Schenectady County Library System, county officials announced Tuesday.
That figure was the stated fundraising goal when the County Legislature last year agreed to pay $1.6 million toward what it recognized would be a $2.6 million facility on Crane Street, a facility they hope will revitalize a troubled part of the city.
“The support from our funding partners has been tremendous and a clear sign that the community is embracing this new branch that will have a positive impact on the neighborhood, our families and the future success of our youth,” said Legislator Rich Patierne, chairman of the Committee on Libraries and Education.
The library is being built next to the current library branch on the site of the former Chubby’s Pizza, which was demolished last year after becoming notorious for the number of police calls it generated. Construction is scheduled to start this year.
The major donors include the Wright Family Foundation, The Little Foundation, Neil and Jane Golub and the Schenectady Foundation, each of which contributed $150,000; the Library Board of Trustees and Friends of the Library, each of which donated $120,000; former library board president Esther Swanker, $75,000; and the Carlilian Foundation, $25,000. The New York State Library Construction Fund contributed $111,583.
County officials are hopeful the new library, modeled on what the county did at the Bornt Literacy Center in Hamilton Hill, will serve as a catalyst for redevelopment in the Crane Street area.
“We have seen the positive impact that investments in a new building like this can have on the neighborhood,” said Legislator Gary Hughes, chairman of the Economic Development Committee. “This project is replacing blighted buildings with a new, positive direction for the Crane Street business corridor.”
The library branch is expected to be complete in the spring of 2019.
Categories: -News-, Schenectady County
