By Daniel Pye<br><a href="mailto:pyed@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Dan</a>
State library funding is delivering a serious boost to repairs for branches in Kenmore and the Tonawandas, ensuring the survival of those libraries for at least the next decade.
Assemblyman Robin Schimminger, D-Kenmore, announced Wednesday that tens of thousands of dollars were apportioned for local projects.
“I am very pleased that these local libraries will benefit from the $14 million capital fund appropriation allotted in the state budget,” Schimminger said.
The City of Tonawanda public library is receiving $36,597 for replacement sidewalks and the installation of a Radio Frequency Identification system for its materials.
RFID technology is used for all manner of organization, from sorting cattle to prescreening identification documents needed for crossing international borders. Libraries use the systems to streamline the process for checking media in and out.
Last year the City of Tonawanda library got more than $28,000 to fix its entryway, but the two Town of Tonawanda branches didn’t apply. This time around, town library leaders didn’t make the same mistake.
The Kenilworth branch is receiving $83,622 to replace the roof, install ceiling insulation, reconstruct the parking lot and install an RFID system. The Kenmore branch has been awarded $85,779 to reconstruct its 7,600 square-foot parking lot and install an RFID system.
The grants come with the provision that the buildings remain open for at least 10 years, helping to assuage the anxiety Kenmore residents have felt during the past year as the town continues to examine the possibility of opening a new library north of Sheridan Drive.
A new plan for that library’s construction, presented by Town Library Board Chairman David Dietz in January, has greatly scaled back the size of the proposed building. Dietz was hopeful that the Town Board would have cost estimates for the new structure as early as next month so the project can move forward, but nothing has been mentioned at public meetings since the January discussion.
Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.
