Cooper-Siegel Community Library created such a buzz when it opened 11 years ago that it lacked ample parking from day one.
At long last, the facility along Fox Chapel Road is expanding its parking lot thanks to the purchase of an adjacent property for $350,000 using funds from a bequest and another local donor.
“We are excited,” Executive Director Jill McConnell said. “We’ve needed this since the day we first opened.”
Construction will add up to 50 new parking spaces.
It is the first phase of a renovation project that also will open more meeting spaces on the library’s lower level. Cost is expected to be about $280,590.
It will be paid through a bequest received by the library, McConnell said.
Cooper-Siegel serves a population of nearly 29,000 people who live in the communities of the Fox Chapel Area School District.
It has a collection of about 71,600 items.
The Federalist-style library is filled with the latest technology, private reading areas, a cozy nook with a fireplace and private rooms for group study and tutoring. A welcome garden is a favorite place for people to sit, socialize or meditate.
A teen room and an expansive children’s area are brimming hands-on items to boost literacy — CDs, puppet kits, books and an art room.
Work on the lower level of the facility will include renovations to about 6,000-square-feet of meeting space. It will add two large rooms to accommodate more programs and group meetings.
“With more space and activities comes more people,” McConnell said. “The new parking lot will ensure that we have adequate parking for all those people and for people coming to browse, use the computers and borrow materials.”
Work on the new parking lot is expected to be complete by October.
