Next stop, library
Grants circulate to help books move



ALTAMONT — Three state grants will help finance the Altamont Free Library’s move from a bank basement to a permanent home across the village green in the old train station — a $1 million project.

Thursday night, Assemblyman Jack McEneny announced that the library will get $65,685 for wiring, air conditioning, and heating; $4,523 to hook up to the municipal sewer system; and $50,000 for capital improvements to the building.
"Government grants should go to things that are very utilitarian," he said to the three dozen people who had gathered at Village Hall to learn about the library’s plans.

Work will likely begin on the train station this spring, said Judith Wines, the librarian. Some government grants require that work begin within 180 days after the grant is made, she said last Friday. The library will take up residence in the new building by early 2010, she said.

Plans for the new building were also unveiled at the Thursday night meeting. Preserving the character of the train station is paramount, Wines said. One of the reasons the library chose its architecture firm, Argus Architecture and Preservation, is because of the firm’s experience with historic preservation; the firm also has a history of working with non-profit organizations, Wines said.
The library plans to keep the outward appearance of the 19th- Century train station the same as it is now. "So it’s instantly identifiable as a train station," Wines said.
"Not only are we making a great library, we’re preserving an important historical building," said Linda Cure, the library’s part-time development coordinator. She’s open to ideas for fund-raising, she said; the library needs donors. Melanie Jakway, co-chair of the capital campaign council, offered several ideas for fund-raising, including an annual gala or golf tournament.
So far, the library has raised about $100,000 for the project, Wines said. "One of the things I’m most excited about is it will have natural light," Wines said of the new space. The library is currently housed in the basement of Key Bank, where it has been since the 1970s. Before that, it was in various buildings around the village. The train station, which the library bought in 2005 for $250,000, will be a permanent home. Of the train station, Wines said, "To use is to preserve."