The Norwin Public Library in Irwin will reopen Wednesday after being closed for two days this week as work begins on a $500,000 renovation project, the library director said.
The library was closed Monday and Tuesday to allow for the beginning of the renovations to the library on Caruthers Lane, said Diana Falk library director.
The library plans to add a family restroom in the children’s section, create a second meeting room, paint the interior, install new flooring throughout the library and install automatic doors on the Caruthers Lane entrance, Falk said.
The meeting room would be created in a space where the library once had a coffee and snack lounge for patrons who could relax and read a book or magazine. But, the lounge was closed in March 2020 because of the covid-related restrictions on gathering in confined spaces.
She said the extra meeting space is a feature that has been needed, as well as the restroom that a parent and child can use when they are using the children’s library and are participating a a program.
The plans for the project have not change since the library last year revealed the details of the project, Falk said.
As the work progresses to its anticipated completion this spring, Falk said there may be other changes to the library’s operating hours, depending on the work that needs to be done.
“We’ll try to maintain as close as possible, to our normal operating hours,” Falk said.
The library last year was awarded a $456,000 grant from the state Broadband Authority to help pay for the project, but opted out because the grant required the library’s contractors to pay federally-set prevailing wage rates, thus driving up the cost.
