Westborough Library Gets $9.4 Million For Expansion

WESTBOROUGH, MA — A bid to expand and renovate the Westborough Public Library building got a major boost on Thursday when the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners awarded the project a $9.4 million grant — the highest of any project in the state.

With the state grant in hand, the library now has six months to get the remaining funding and approvals for the $24 million project. Town Meeting would need to award the remaining amount for the renovation to move forward.

The renovation and expansion would include the original 1908 library building downtown, but would add more space for children and teen areas, local history and staff.

The Westborough Trustees of the Library first applied for the state grant in 2017, and the project moved up over the years to the No. 1 spot, leading to Thursday's grant award.

The library's 20,000 square-foot building was last renovated in 1981, when the town doubled the size of the building and made accessibility updates.

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners gave out a total of seven grants after a meeting Thursday, providing funds for library renovations in Grafton, Seekonk, Orange, Deerfield, Westford and Gloucester.