Northland library in McCandless receives state grant

The Northland Public Library in McCandless has been awarded a $750,000 matching grant from the state that will help with needed building upgrades.

The Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund is supplying the grant, which is used for the planning, acquisition, construction and rehabilitation of public library facilities.

“We’re so thrilled to be awarded the Keystone Grant as it was an essential funding component allowing Northland to do necessary physical building and facility upgrades,” said Nicholas Yon, director of communications for the Northland Public Library. “This includes a large-scale construction project to rehabilitate the exterior staircase and entrance of the library due to a crumbling foundation and subsidence of the patio.”

The library will also reconstruct and rebuild its entire lower level entrance and renovate its lower lobby, he said.

“This will increase the accessibility of this space, both exterior and interior, and provide a more open and engaging environment for our patrons. Our staff has been working diligently to secure grant and funding sources for this project and being awarded the Keystone Grant is an exciting game changer for the Library. The project will positively impact our patron experience at Northland,” Yon said.

The library received the news Feb. 24 after an announcement from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office of Commonwealth Libraries.

Northland is one of three libraries in Allegheny County to receive a grant, including Carnegie Library of Homestead, $299,529, and Oakmont Carnegie Library, $173,475, according to the state’s announcement.

Northland, located on Cumberland Road in McCandless, directly serves the boroughs of Bradford Woods and Franklin Park and the townships of Marshall, McCandless and Ross. It is one of the 46 independent public library members of the Allegheny County Library System.

The Northland Public Library Authority prepared the grant application for the Keystone Grant. A municipality has to apply for it on behalf of the library. and Marshall Township did so, Yon said.

Each municipality within the Northland library authority has taken on this role for different applications, according to Julie Bastianini, Marshall Township manager.

“Grantees are required to match the grant award dollar for dollar with their own funds,” said Casey Smith, communications director for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. “Northland’s total project cost will therefore be $1.5 million or more. The Keystone program prioritizes projects that address building accessibility, energy efficiency, renovation or construction of public spaces, and non-routine maintenance of building systems,”

For 2022, Northland continued to have the highest circulation of physical items checked out and renewed at 966,794 items. The next highest library was Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Main branch at 655,683 items, Yon said.

More than half of Northland’s revenue comes from local municipalities, with the rest coming in from the Allegheny County Regional Asset District, the state, the Northland Public Library Foundation, and other sources.

Visit www.northlandlibrary.org or call 412-366-8100.