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Guilderland Public Library Breaks Ground On Expansion Project

Guilderland Public Library
Jesse King
/
WAMC
Construction on the Guilderland Public Library's $9 million expansion project officially started Thursday.

The Guilderland Public Library broke ground on a roughly $9 million expansion project Thursday. 

Library Director Tim Wiles says construction for the long-awaited project is slated to finish next fall. The highlight is an additional 6,555 square feet planned for the building’s east wing, which Wiles says will primarily be used for children’s programming. 

“But because we’re moving the children’s area into that new space, that will allow us to also expand the other areas," he explains. "There will be a new teen center for the first time, there will be an updated adult reading room, and there will be a third community meeting room to join the two that we already had.”

Wiles says the project also includes a cafe, expanded parking, renovated bathrooms, and a new sprinkler system. It plans to remain open during construction – given the coronavirus pandemic, the library has mainly operated via curbside pickup. Wiles says he hopes to open more of the building this winter. 

Jesse King is the host of WAMC's national program on women's issues, "51%," and the station's bureau chief in the Hudson Valley. She has also produced episodes of the WAMC podcast "A New York Minute In History."