Patrons of the Millvale Community Library will be seeing construction on the property in the coming months.

Melissa Mason, the executive director of the Millvale Community Library, announced that a 12 by 40-foot building will be constructed behind the library and will act as the new home for the Millvale Tool Lending Library.

“This has been years in the making,” Mason said. “This has been in progress for about two years. (The project) was led by the prior staff and the board members.”

Mason came into the library in May of last year at the tail end of the process and helped tie things together.

Founded in 2018, the Tool Library gives patrons access to more than 1,000 tools, including hand and power tools for building, woodworking, home maintenance, gardening, plumbing, cars and bikes. Mason said that power tools in the library’s catalog include but aren’t limited to pressure washers and small power saws.

“(The volunteers) don’t lend out anything that could be a little more dangerous,” Mason said. “For example, there are no chainsaws in the Tool Lending Library.”

Each tool comes with a user manual for the patron to read before using it. Guests are also able to speak with one of the 12 Tool Library volunteers to get tips about using the tools and the projects they’re trying to complete.

“Our volunteers are very passionate and they’re very good at what they do,” Mason said.

According to the Millvale Community Library website, guests who have utilized the Tool Library, which is a low-to-no-cost resource available to anyone over 18, have saved an estimated $112,500 annually by borrowing tools rather than buying or renting. Patrons with a library card can check out up to five tools for one week at a time after signing a waiver. Mason said that there haven’t been many issues with getting tools returned, but volunteers have had to pick up borrowed equipment from patrons.

The tool selection is currently housed in the Millvale Community Library basement, limiting patrons to reserving tools online rather than being able to browse for what they need in person. Mason said she is also worried about the risk of flood damage to the tools.

Mason said that they will begin to plan the placement of the new facility over a series of weekends in April.

“The area where the building will be placed is currently kind of a flower bed garden with some trees, some bulbs and some different plants,” Mason said. “Just like everything at this library, it’s the work of a million volunteers and donations over the years. We really want to try to preserve some of the plant life.”

A landscape designer will be helping decide what plants can be moved and what will leave the garden.

With the new building comes a new position. Mason said that once the Tool Library is built, the library intends to hire a program and volunteer coordinator who will oversee the Tool Lending Library operations, helping increase hours, and improve the browsing and borrowing experience for patrons and volunteers.

The position will also require coordination of non-literacy-based programming and the recruitment and training of volunteers. The coordinator will be in charge of bringing back adult classes about using the tools — such as how to change the oil in a car and how to build a bird box.

Mason said the library is already in negotiations with a person to fill that position.

These projects come after the library received a $227,320 grant from Allegheny Regional Asset District, an organization that focuses on improving the quality of life in Allegheny County by financially supporting libraries, parks and trails, arts and cultural organizations, regional attractions, sports and civic facilities and public transit.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)