ALTAMONT - The old train station is 20,000 steps closer to becoming a library.

On Tuesday, the Altamont Free Library announced that it was awarded $20,000 from The New York State Council on the Arts, a grant that it applied for in September, said Librarian Judith Wines.

In the roughly $1 million project, this $20,000 is earmarked for architectural expenses, Wines said. The total cost for architecture is expected to be between $40,000 and $50,000, she said.

In its effort to preserve the historic train station, built in 1897, the library is working with Janet Null of Argus Architecture and Preservation, according to Wines.

So far, she said, roughly $200,000 has been raised for the project, which will move the library from the basement of Key Bank to the other side of the village green, to its permanent home in the train station.
Getting a grant like this gives the library a "sense of forward momentum," Wines said. "We're excited."