News
Library in line for $200,000 in federal funds for repairs
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| Part of the Hudson Area Association Library roof that remains un-replaced due to budget restraints. Robert Ragaini/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers |
By Jamie Larson
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
The Hudson Area Association Library learned Friday, July 24, that it is one step closer to receiving $200,000 in federal funding for restorations and repairs as part of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Act (THUD) just passed in the House of Representatives.
The funds, added to the legislation by Congressman Scott Murphy, D-20th District, still needs to be passed by the senate and signed by President Barack Obama before the library receives any money. The process will take months.
The funds for the library were added to THUD, which is primarily infrastructure legislation, to finish the job of fixing the library’s roof and better winterize windows and leaks. Restoration of the roof, a project which received a Strategic Investment Program grant with the help of state Senator Steven Saland worth $322,040, had to be stopped when it went over budget. The Library entered into a revolving loan with Columbia Economic Development Corporation while funding the project because the grant funds could only be issued retroactively by the Empire State Development Corporation after money was spent. There is still $51,100 left to come in from the grant, but since the state hit economic hard times, the final payment has not materialized from ESDC.
That payment will not cover all of the CEDC loan, which currently stands around $140,000, according to Library Board of Trustees President Theresa Parsons. The board has not yet made a decision on how much of the potential THUD money would go towards continued renovations and how much could go towards debt reduction. Parsons did mention the library’s debt in the appropriations application.
Parsons said the restorations were more than the $364,000 price tag they expected due to problems that popped up along the way. She said the Hudson City School District, which was the previous owners of the library, “chopped up a lot of stuff.” Despite the money already spent on restoring the roof of the building, built in 1816, the section of roof over the north wing has only been maintained to stop leaking but not fully fixed. Parsons says they plan on simply repairing the northern section, a cheaper alternative to the historic restoration done to the already finished section.
Parsons said the roof is just the first stage of a major restoration project to save the entire old building, which in the past was both an orphanage and an insane asylum. The library won a $250,000 from the Environmental Protection Fund to restore the facade of the building, but can’t access it until they raise matching funds. Parsons has no idea when those funds will ever be able to be raised.
Parsons said, “Its so hard to get funds right now that’s why I was so elated (Murphy) chose us,” Parsons said.
The president said the library is funded much worse than most in the Mid-Hudson Library System, ranked 59th out of 66 community libraries. This year the library received $48,000 from Hudson, $5,500 from Greenport, and $1,500 from Stockport. Parsons feels the communities the library services should take a more vested interest in the library and provide more funding.
Hudson Mayor Richard Scalera said when the library decided to stay in the old building after the school district removed it from its budget it troubled a lot of people and in all three municipalities. He said people are concerned that if they donate to the library their money will go to repairs for the building and not to programs that actually benefit the the community.
Parsons has heard this criticism before and says repairs and restoration expenses have no impact on services. “No, I say emphatically no,” Parsons exclaimed, “It makes it harder. It makes us run faster. (The library) has a lot of history and people love it.”
New Library Director Cory Fleming started in Hudson on July 1, and said the potential for funding from the federal government will be very welcome. “Its always good to get any financial support,” Fleming. “It alleviates the stress on the library patrons and adds to the quality of service we provide.”
The funds, added to the legislation by Congressman Scott Murphy, D-20th District, still needs to be passed by the senate and signed by President Barack Obama before the library receives any money. The process will take months.
The funds for the library were added to THUD, which is primarily infrastructure legislation, to finish the job of fixing the library’s roof and better winterize windows and leaks. Restoration of the roof, a project which received a Strategic Investment Program grant with the help of state Senator Steven Saland worth $322,040, had to be stopped when it went over budget. The Library entered into a revolving loan with Columbia Economic Development Corporation while funding the project because the grant funds could only be issued retroactively by the Empire State Development Corporation after money was spent. There is still $51,100 left to come in from the grant, but since the state hit economic hard times, the final payment has not materialized from ESDC.
That payment will not cover all of the CEDC loan, which currently stands around $140,000, according to Library Board of Trustees President Theresa Parsons. The board has not yet made a decision on how much of the potential THUD money would go towards continued renovations and how much could go towards debt reduction. Parsons did mention the library’s debt in the appropriations application.
Parsons said the restorations were more than the $364,000 price tag they expected due to problems that popped up along the way. She said the Hudson City School District, which was the previous owners of the library, “chopped up a lot of stuff.” Despite the money already spent on restoring the roof of the building, built in 1816, the section of roof over the north wing has only been maintained to stop leaking but not fully fixed. Parsons says they plan on simply repairing the northern section, a cheaper alternative to the historic restoration done to the already finished section.
Parsons said the roof is just the first stage of a major restoration project to save the entire old building, which in the past was both an orphanage and an insane asylum. The library won a $250,000 from the Environmental Protection Fund to restore the facade of the building, but can’t access it until they raise matching funds. Parsons has no idea when those funds will ever be able to be raised.
Parsons said, “Its so hard to get funds right now that’s why I was so elated (Murphy) chose us,” Parsons said.
The president said the library is funded much worse than most in the Mid-Hudson Library System, ranked 59th out of 66 community libraries. This year the library received $48,000 from Hudson, $5,500 from Greenport, and $1,500 from Stockport. Parsons feels the communities the library services should take a more vested interest in the library and provide more funding.
Hudson Mayor Richard Scalera said when the library decided to stay in the old building after the school district removed it from its budget it troubled a lot of people and in all three municipalities. He said people are concerned that if they donate to the library their money will go to repairs for the building and not to programs that actually benefit the the community.
Parsons has heard this criticism before and says repairs and restoration expenses have no impact on services. “No, I say emphatically no,” Parsons exclaimed, “It makes it harder. It makes us run faster. (The library) has a lot of history and people love it.”
New Library Director Cory Fleming started in Hudson on July 1, and said the potential for funding from the federal government will be very welcome. “Its always good to get any financial support,” Fleming. “It alleviates the stress on the library patrons and adds to the quality of service we provide.”
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