Hubbard Public Library will have ribbon-cutting ceremony April 13

Staff report

HUBBARD

The Hubbard Public Library, 436 West Liberty St., is celebrating its renovations with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday at 2 p.m.

The public is invited to attend.

State Sen. Sean O’ Brien of Bazetta, D-32nd, and state Rep. Glenn Holmes of Girard, D-63rd, will be among attendees.

There will be refreshments and guests can register for a door prize.

One of the first aspects of the renovations guests will notice is the new entrance.

The lobby was expanded and the entrance was updated with new doors and a canopy for people waiting for rides.

The sidewalks were widened along the library.

David Bailey, chairman of the building committee, said the doors used to be heavy and difficult for some people to open, so the new doors were installed.

The doors are lighter and have glass panels to allow more light in.

LED lights were also installed in the exterior and the interior.

In the meeting room entrance, which provides access to voting polls, organizational meetings and special events, a fascia was built that matches the main entrance with glass panel doors.

Lorena Williams, library director, said the renovations solve some of the problems the library previously had, and gives it a more welcoming entrance.

The renovations also incudes an expansion for the technical services department to provide more space for operations such as processing materials and resources for the libraries collection.

“As Hubbard Public Library continues to grow its services and the Clevnet consortium continues to add member libraries, more area is needed to manage the increased flow of materials,” Williams said. “This part of the project entailed removing a wall separating storage space from the main technical services area and renovating it to be included in the workspace.”

Renovations were started October 2018. The total cost of the project is $135,256.

“We have a long-term plan for the library, keeping it current and improving it when we can, and this is really part of it,” Bailey said.

Williams said the upgrades improve accessibility and customer service, and eliminate barriers to people enjoying the community’s public library.

“We are here for the public, our community,” Williams said. “We are a tax-based organization so we want to be the best we can for this community.”

Kreidler Construction Co. and BSHM Architects were contracted for the project.