Batavia residents are likely to see some changes to their local library in the coming months, as the Batavia Public Library gears up to begin a 12-month interior renovation project meant to update its facilities and offerings.
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The renovations may mean some disruptions to certain areas, services and collections, the library says, but the building at 10 S. Batavia Ave. in the city’s downtown will remain open to patrons throughout construction.
Construction is slated to start in early November and finish up the following fall, according to the library.
Last December, the Batavia Public Library Board OK’d a budget capped at $14 million for the proposed renovation project.
The resolution approved by the board at the time indicated that the Batavia Public Library District’s plan was to fund the project via a combination of existing reserves and bond issuances that would not increase the library’s tax rate.
According to a presentation from last December, the library’s plan is to initially pay the renovation costs with its savings. But, as those are depleted, it intends to issue 20-year maturity bonds.
But the work will not increase residents’ property taxes, according to the library. Reserves will be used, and the issued bonds are to be supported within the existing operating fund, per the library’s website.
The existing library building is 24 years old, according to a news release from the Batavia Public Library, and the planned renovations are meant to address various aspects of its offerings.
For example, the project is set to refresh spaces for children, teens and adults; update meeting and program areas; and create more flexible spaces for reading, studying, gathering and working, the news release said. It’s also slated to include accessibility, infrastructure and technology improvements and the replacement of finishes and furnishings.
“The way people use libraries has changed significantly over the past two decades,” the library’s Executive Director Josephine Tucci said in the news release. “This renovation is an opportunity to renew our well-loved building while creating spaces that better support how our community uses the library today and into the future.”
Aside from the main library space, the work is also set to address “behind-the-scenes spaces and workflows,” the library said, so as to help staff provide services more efficiently.
Though the library will remain open for the duration of the construction, some areas, services and collections may be temporarily relocated or unavailable as work goes on, the news release said.
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Construction is going to take place in phases, the library has indicated, but some areas of the building may temporarily shift locations as work progresses, and there may at times be noise or adjusted pathways within the building. Some library programs and events are expected to be held offsite during parts of the renovation.
In the meantime, the library is inviting residents to take a look at the planned project, with a “Renovation Sneak Peek Open House” planned for 2 p.m. Sept. 20 at the library, the news release from the library said.
The event’s attendees can get an overview of the renovation plans, including an opportunity to look at plans and renderings for the project, per the library, and will have the chance to learn what they can expect to see when the project is finished and how operations will be affected as the work is ongoing.
“We appreciate our community’s patience as we complete this significant project,” Tucci said in the news release. “There may be some disruption along the way, but the result will be a refreshed and renewed library designed to serve Batavia for many years to come.”