Former State Sen Gives $1M For Lower Merion Library Upgrades

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA – When the Belmont Hills Public Library reopened after a year-long renovation and expansion, officials announced who gave $1 million to upgrade all six Lower Merion libraries.

At the Nov. 4 reopening, it was announced that former Pennsylvania State Sen. Constance Williams helped start the capital campaign about a 10 years ago with a $1 million contribution.

Williams – who represented the 17th District from 2001 to 2009, and previously represented the 149th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1997 to 2001 – will have all the children's reading rooms named in honor of her contribution.

The children’s rooms in all six libraries will be named as Williams’ Family Children’s Library.

The Belmont Hills Public Library is the sixth and final library in Lower Merion Township to be renovated and expanded in a program that began 10 years ago.

At that time, library supporters presented a bold plan to re-imagine all six township libraries as welcoming spaces for residents of all ages to explore, learn, and connect to their community.

The first project was the renovation to the Ludington Library, completed in 2012; Bala Cynwyd was completed in 2013; the Ardmore and Penn Wynne libraries re-opened in 2016; and Gladwyne was finished in 2017. The projects were completed with funding provided by the Township of Lower Merion, private donors and state grants.

The Belmont Hills Library got a 1,804 square-foot addition and the remainder of the library was updated with new paint, windows, lighting, furniture and carpeting. The additional space provides the community with a meeting room for 49 people, a new entrance and ADA-compliant restrooms. A reading patio, overlooking the Township Belmont Hills Pool and McMoran Park, was added with benches and electrical outlets. Other features of the renovation included updated Wi-Fi, and a laptop bar.

In addition to funds provided by Lower Merion Township, other contributors to the Lower Merion Library Foundation Capital Campaign supported the project. The Flink family donated $10,000 to sponsor the new rear lobby, and the Portnoy family donated $2,500 to support the Librarian’s Office. The Dellheim family made contributions to each of the six LMLS library renovation projects and the circulation desk was presented in their honor. The Library Board named the front entrance in honor of Jean Karol.

The Belmont Hills project was supported in part by a $500,000 grant from the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, Pennsylvania Department of Education, with funds provided from the Keystone, Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund.

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