Library To Unveil Renovation Saturday: How It Was Paid For

The new lower level of the , which has been undergoing  since early 2010 and opens to the public Saturday at 10 a.m., was “entirely funded by money the library saved from previous years,” according to Library Director Kurt Hadeler. 

Hadeler says that over the past three years, the library has actually returned $.5M of its funding to the township as an excess, which state law requires be used to lower taxes.

“We have been extremely responsible with our expenditures and saving,” he said. 

According to Hadeler, since the library’s budget is not determined by the town council, and instead is dependent upon assessed property values in the township, the library was able to save money for this project for over a decade.

“The Library Board has been conscientiously saving funds from the operating budget each year for over a decade in order to complete the lower level,” he told Patch.

According to a release by the Library’s Board, “the Lower Level Completion Project was funded entirely by savings from Library operating funds and without additional municipal funding or public bonds.” 

Though concrete plans for the lower level design were first drafted in 2006, the idea of renovating the once vacant lower level has “always been part of the plan,” since the library opened in 1998.

The renovation will increase the size of the library to a total 30,000-sq.-feet, and, according to the Board, will accommodate for community activities the building hosts, which were attended by over 22K esidents last year.

“Because Mahwah has no central ‘down town,’ the Library has become the town’s meeting place and center for intellectual and cultural enrichment. With the completion of the Lower Level, we will be able to offer local organizations a wonderful location for their events,” said Board President Curtis P. Koster.

The new spaces in the library will be available to community groups in the township for rent. 

According to the library, the new 7800 sq. foot downstairs facility includes café – style seating, a reading lounge, meeting rooms, high speed Internet access, and “LCDs, projectors and digital signage software donated by Sharp Electronics in Mahwah.”

Saturday’s itinerary includes a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m., tours until 11 a.m., and refreshments all day long. The library will close at 5 p.m.