One Cayuga County library is moving forward with its plans to construct a new building and relocate.
Lisa Semenza is the Director of the Hazard Library. Speaking with Finger Lakes News Radio, she said that the $450,000 secured by State Senator Rachel May for the library in the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 state budget, combined with $150,000 in locally raised funds, will allow the library to begin Phase I of its relocation project.
“We’re just really excited that we’re going to have the room to provide the services that we need in a twenty-first-century library.”
The estimated total project cost came to $1.2 million. Because of this Semenza said the project was split into two construction phases. The first phase will consist of exterior work constructed on an existing foundation at the southern end of the Opendore property in Sherwood.
“Phase I will be the shell of the building. That would be getting it to look like there’s a building there. It would not be finished on the inside. There would also be infrastructure for the wiring and those sorts of things.”
An architect is currently finishing up construction documents and working on finding a contractor, according to Semenza, with groundbreaking expected to occur by Spring 2025.
“Now we’ve got this money assured to us, we’re able to move forward.”
Phase II will consist of interior work and Semenza added that a possible Phase III may be needed to provide furnishings such as shelves, desks, and chairs; however, that phase may only consist of local fundraising.
If all goes to plan, the new building will be completed within two years of the groundbreaking; however, Semenza admitted that the timeline may need to be revised once construction begins.
Funding is already being sought for Phase II. Semenza said that the library is applying for another $450,000 grant from the state and is looking to raise a match of $150,000.
Doug’s Fish Fry will be at the Poplar Ridge Firehouse from 11:00a-6:00p on October 28 with a portion of proceeds raised going to Phase II.
In 2019, Opendore approached the library about possibly moving it to its property. Opendore is the former home of women’s suffragist Isabel Howland and is part of the Howland Stone Store Museum. Semenza had previously told Finger Lakes News Radio that having the library on the same property as Opendore would be mutually beneficial to the two institutions and the community.
“We can really work with [Opendore], getting books and information with local history. They can help us with helping people find information that they need.”
Since its founding in the nineteenth century, the library has occupied a 550 sq ft building in Poplar Ridge. Once complete, the new structure is expected to be two stories tall and measure just over 2,000 sq ft.
Semenza would like to express her gratitude to Senator May and the local community for their support in this endeavor.
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