Opinions of the state of Cohoes’ library system remain mixed while a relocation effort continues.
The Cohoes Public Library has been housed in the city’s Senior Center since 2021, after the old space in the former Saint John’s Episcopal Church was closed when stones started falling off the exterior. The city cited costs north of $3 million, including some $700,000 to stabilize the building’s steeple, as the reason for the move. The city had been eyeing the former Cohoes Savings Bank on Remsen Street as its new home. Now, those plans are moving forward, according to Democratic Mayor Bill Keeler.
“The city does now own the building; we have since applied for funding through the state Downtown Revitalization Initiative. And we anticipate getting a significant sum from them, possibly $2-2.5 million to invest in the building,” Keeler said.
The total cost of the building itself was about $400,000; the additional money would go toward the library inside and additional work to the structure. New library director Ray LeMay says a modern space is needed.
“We’d like to have a new children's room, as far as a children's library, and also an additional local history room, we have a lot of manuscripts and materials in our vertical files that we'd like to highlight and make it available to the public, more accessible, in addition, you know, we’d like to upgrade our technology,” LeMay said.
LeMay says conference spaces would also be appreciated.
Barbara Hildreth is President of the library’s Board of Trustees. She looks forward to moving out of the senior center.
“It's hard to look at this as a library,” Hildreth said.
By that, she means it’s too small, maybe 500 square feet.
Beth Slezak manages the Senior Center.
“The library deserves its own space, and it deserves a space to grow into and to create and to become its own again, and I look forward to the library being able to have that opportunity,” Slezak said.
The new location in the old Cohoes Savings Bank will be about a quarter mile from the current home in the senior center. Bearing that in mind, Keeler questions maintaining both.
As for actually moving the library, Keeler says it’s still a waiting game until the state announces the next round of Downtown Revitalization Initiative grants, expected this spring. After that, he estimates six months to completion.
“Six months is probably ambitious, but certainly by next spring up and running, fully operational,” Keeler said.
When WAMC visited the senior center library last year, patrons brought up the Cohoes Mastodon, a replica of one found when excavation was being done for an area mill. LeMay says it would be brought over.
Keeler adds final design plans for the new library remain unsettled.
“There’s a lot of office space available downstairs. So you know, we could bring in different groups to use those, our historical society, the IDA [Industrial Development Agency] might want to move in there. So there's a number of possibilities,” Keeler said.
Pauline Daigneault is a library patron who likes having the library in the senior center.
“I think they're doing real good. They have a lot of programs going on. You know, authors coming in, and you can listen, they have things for the kids, which is great,” Daigneault said.
A common thread among those in support of the current library location remaining as-is are mobility concerns. Rosemary Bennett, who lives in the Cayuga Plaza apartments next door, says the streets aren’t safe enough to walk from the senior center to the proposed new location.
“I always use a walker, if I'm going to walk anywhere. And the streets, to me, are not right for walking. When you walk with a walker, you can- I've already fell once, but I didn't break any bones. So, I don't walk anywhere here,” Bennett said.
Bennett adds she’d be in favor of the move if the roads are fixed.
Carol Cullen is a library aide. She says the current space has helped bring library access to a previously underserved demographic.
“As we are here, we have seniors floating in every day, and seniors coming to us for services that they hadn't come to us previously, you know, how to use their tablets or difficulty with getting something online, having something printed, or things like that,” Cullen said.
She says, while the current library serves its purpose well, collections could be expanded in the new space.
Patty Normandin has worked for the library since 1977, retiring in 2010 before later deciding to return. Now an aide, she feels the library will still be well-patronized, no matter the location.
“I think most of the people that come in here and still come to the library are people that would utilize it anyway, whether they had to go over there or they had to be here,” Normandin said.
She says even though the old church building was near and dear to her, she realizes it’s not feasible for the city to repair on its own.
She also described when stones first started falling from the structure.
“I heard it, I couldn't see it, because it was nighttime. And my house actually shook. And I looked out the window. And I couldn't see anything, you know, because the stone- it was all the stone. But the next morning I seen it. And it wasn't a pretty sight,” Normandin said.
