4 libraries in Westmoreland, Allegheny counties will split $2.3 million in state grants

Four local libraries received a helping hand in their renovation efforts thanks to $2.2 million in collective grants from the state Department of Education.

“We’re just so excited about this grant, we’re over the moon,” said Jamie Falo, executive director of Greensburg Hempfield Area Library, which received $748,145.

The money will be used to make the restrooms and circulation desk wheelchair-accessible, as well much-needed updates to the plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems in the 109-year-old downtown building on South Pennsylvania Avenue.

“After we did a lot of studies, we found that those were the areas that needed addressed,” Falo said. “The bones of the building were good, but the mechanical parts need updating significantly.”

The Department of Education awarded $5.1 million in grants to 18 libraries statewide.

The process was highly competitive, Falo said. “You had to jump through a lot of hoops, but it’s very well worth it if you’re the recipient.”

For the Braddock Carnegie Library, the $750,000 state grant will go toward a planned $15 million renovation plan to restore the 130-year-old building —the first Carnegie Library in the country.

“This building was built to last…for generations to come…a center of light & learning, a never failing spring of all good influences,” the library’s website notes Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-born, Pittsburgh steel magnate and philanthropist, as saying at the March 30, 1889, dedication of the medieval-style marvel.

“It’s an important project, it’s something we’ve been working on for the last five years,” said Executive Director Vicki Vargo. “Despite some of the uncomfortable attributes of the building, we still have people coming and using the building.”

The library occupies half of the space.

Due to a lack of funds, the library closed in 1974 — a year after being added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was nearly demolished before a group of residents stepped in to save the building, which reopened in 1983. However, most of the large complex — which once included a swimming pool, gym and music theater — fell into disrepair, and has gone unused in recent decades.

The library is raising money to restore and modernize the building, making it accessible, adaptable and sustainable, Vargo said. The Keystone Grant money will pay for replacing the heating and air conditioning systems.

Such a grant is especially important this year, when the coronavirus pandemic has curtailed other fundraising efforts, Vargo said.

“We came into 2020 with timelines, and then of course March happened, and we had other issues to address, as did foundations and other funders,” she said.

The Northern Tier Regional Library in Gibsonia will use its $38,580 to add handicap push buttons to automatically open heavy doors and replace light fixtures with energy- and cost-efficient options, said director Diane Illis.

The money also help recarpet and paint the library’s main space.

“Now, I feel like we can have an energy-efficient, accessible, clean and safe environment for our patrons, so I’m super excited,” Illis said.

She’s been working on the grant application since late last year.

“It’s really good news,” she said. “With the pandemic, there’s been a loss of funding for libraries.”

The Upper St. Clair Township Library received $750,000, which will be used to “reconfigure and increase library space,” according to the Department of Education. Library officials could not be reached for comment.