Phoenixville Library $40K Away from Renovation Goal

Since autumn, members of the Phoenixville Public Library Foundation have worked to raise $533,000 to pay for a proposed $1 million renovation to the space.

Now, the foundation is $40,000 away from its goal of raising $573,000 to match a state grant. The renovations will include infrastructure improvements, like new windows and roof work, along with improvements that will help better serve the community, according to Susan Mostek, executive director of the library foundation and the director of development and marketing with the .

“The [library] board strategically looked out where our greatest needs were and developed a plan for that,” Mostek said.

Working with Phoenixville’s Carnevale Eustis Architects, the library will expand the children’s department, enlarge and relocate the computer center and develop a more defined area for young adults.

“Our library is known for its children’s programming, and we definitely want to address those needs,” Mostek said.

The community room in the basement will move to where the technical processing area sits now, which will allow more room for the children’s department. The community room itself will be a bigger space. Upstairs, the computer center will be moved to the area where the executive director’s office is now, behind the check-out counter. A defined young adult area will be carved out in the section where DVDs are currently located.

“None of these plans are finalized as of yet, and we definitely want to get the most bang for our buck, plain and simple,” Mostek said. “So if something comes to light, we are open to make it work. It just has to be financially feasible.”

Mostek said the footprint of the library won’t change with the renovation. The library has been at its location at Second Avenue and Main Street since 1901. The last expansion was done in 1987, when a 5,220-square feet addition was added to the building. In 2000, the basement space received a facelift, along with the alcoves on the first floor.

The library is in the middle of its strategic planning process, which will be highlighted by a two-day summit in April to look at the library’s future. Mostek said that ideas from that might be included in renovation plans.

For patrons, Mostek noted that the renovations shouldn’t interrupt library service.

“It will not preclude our customers from coming in to use the library,” Mostek said. “We have spoken with the architect and we think we can work around it. It might be a minor inconvenience here and there, but people will still be able to use the library.”

The proposed renovation won’t cost the Phoenixville Area School District, which owns the building, anything. Money will not be taken from the library’s operating budget, either. The renovation will be funded through grants and then through privately raised local funding.

The foundation found out in 2009 that it received a $450,000 grant through the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Grant (RACP) program. The foundation enlisted the help of the Chester County Industrial Development Council, as the RACP grant process is complex. Then, in 2010, the grant was executed by the commonwealth.

“We have a signed grant for $450,000,” Mostek said.

Conditions of the RACP grant include raising $573,000 in matching funds. The library foundation is $40,000 away from that, Mostek said. The Phoenixville Community Health Foundation helped, adding a $75,000 grant. Local library supporters contributed the rest.

Other conditions of the RACP grant included getting cooperation agreements from both the school district and the borough, basically saying both bodies gave the plan their blessings. Both of those agreements have been signed.

Mostek said the foundation is grateful to all the supporters who helped raise the funds to make the $1 million renovation possible.

“We are a community resource and a community center and it has all been local support,” she said. “It’s a wonderful testament to the character and strength of the library.”