BERNE — The cramped Berne library has outgrown its space at Town Hall but a new location remains uncertain.

Years into planning, library supporters have considered building a new library at the town park on the west end of the Berne hamlet.

As an alternative, they are now considering the Masonic Lodge, a two-story building located next to Town Hall.
This year, the project was awarded a state grant. The grant money, combined with matching funds set aside by the town board, would have amounted to "well over $200,000," said Joel Willsey, a member of the library’s all-volunteer building committee.

However, upon receiving the grant, a fully-developed plan had not yet been formulated and library supporters returned the money.
"We now know what to do and how to do it," Willsey said. "It was a long shot to get the grant."
No proposal has been made by the town, said Stewart Kidder, a past master of the Masons and the lodge’s secretary. "I have no idea what their plans are," he said.

The Berne Masonic Lodge was started in 1868 and now has about 70 members, said Kidder.
"We’ve had numerous informal sessions," said Berne Supervisor Kevin Crosier of meetings with the Masons.

A meeting at Town Hall with the Masons, library trustees, and town officials is scheduled for Sept. 20 at 5:30 p.m., Crosier announced last night.

The Masons have suggested their building could be used; they have also suggested selling the building to the town at a discounted price if they are allowed to use a meeting room on the second floor indefinitely, according to Willsey.

The Berne Library is part of the Upper Hudson Library System, which serves Albany and Rensselaer counties. It is a free library which, unlike a public library, does not have the power to tax.

The town of Berne supports the library. This year, it was budgeted $27,500. The town of Knox, which has no library of its own, uses the Berne library and paid Berne $800 this year for services.
The library employs "three wonderful people," said James O’Shea, the president of the library board.

Town Hall, which was built as a hotel, also houses the town offices, town court, and a meeting room. The Berne History Museum is located on the top floor.

After it was founded in 1962, the library was housed at the Grange Hall and in a small building at the edge of the Fox Creek. It moved to Town Hall in 1969.

To date, the town has set aside $165,000 in its capital projects fund for the library project, with the money earmarked for a new library. Part of the money set aside — $50,000 — was raised from the sale of the fire station across the street from the town hall.

Library trustees, The Friends of the Berne Library, and four committees — grant, finance, interior, and building — have worked on the relocation project. All the work has been performed by volunteers.
"Everybody is doing what they can, when they can," said Willsey, who redesigned the town’s transfer station to match the historic buildings in the hamlet.

To be considered

For a new building at the town park, the library’s interior committee is recommending a 4,000-square-foot building.

Willsey estimated 3,500 square feet would be left for library purposes after restrooms, sinks, hallways, a boiler room, and an entryway are accounted for.

The current library provides about 800 square feet of usable space, he said.

The Masonic building (minus the meeting room on the second floor) could provide approximately 3,000 square feet of usable space if the basement is used and the building is jacked up or a new foundation is put in.

When considering the town park as a building site, library planners became concerned about the high water level, the floodplain, and archaeological sites being disturbed, Willsey said. To save on costs, all studies have been amateur studies, he said.

The building committee has recommended to the town board that library trustees, town council members, and members of the Masons jointly meet to discuss sharing a meeting room and negotiate arrangements for the basement before approving any consulting expenditures, Willsey said.

Contributions for the project are coming in from a variety of sources.

The Tenzin Gyatso Institute for Wisdom and Compassion, a Tibetan Buddhist center in Berne, donated $2,500 to the library.

Residents are also donating.

Former planning board member, Mildred Johansson, donated $2,000; the library has also gotten a $1,000 donation and two residents have given $500 dollars.
"People are donating $1,000 who are driving rusted-out cars," said Willsey.

Throughout September, a book drive fund-raiser for the library is being held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lutheran church in East Berne.