'A beacon of hope:' Sewickley Township unveils plans for new library

Sewickley Township Public Library unveiled plans Wednesday for a new facility next to the H.W. Good Elementary School near Herminie — a $1.9 million project that will give the library a home of its own.

“It’s been a dream of the board and director for many years. We’ve been talking about a need for a new space for close to 20 years,” said library board President Marci Suggars.

The new library will have 4,800 square feet of space. That will allow an adequate area for a children’s room, a room for programming, space for computers and a private area to allow patrons to have telehealth visits and workforce interviews, said Mandy Luchs, library director.

The library board acquired a 0.6-acre site adjacent to the elementary school when the Yough School Board sold it for a nominal price in 2023.

“This project will create a vibrant center serving the needs of township residents and adjacent communities,” Suggars said. It will be “a multi-faceted community center that will become a beacon of hope.”

Since April 2023, the library has been operating out of the former Sewickley-Sutersville Sewage Authority office nearby. The library was forced to store about two-thirds of its collection at another location, Luchs said, because the site was smaller than its previous home in the basement of the township recreation center.

The library had to vacate the recreation center because the building was deemed unsafe for occupancy in February 2023. It has been razed.

The money for a new single-story building is funded in large part by a $1 million grant from the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, which distributes federal and state money for broadband expansion projects in unserved and underserved areas of Pennsylvania.

The loan requires that the project must be substantially completed by the end of 2026, Luchs said.

The township would qualify as unserved and underserved . The 27-square-mile municipality is largely a rural area with a cluster of villages — Cowansburg, Herminie, Hutchinson, Lowber and Rillton — with just 5,600 people, according to the 2020 census.

Nearing fundraising goal

The library has raised almost 90% of the money it needs to reach $1.9 million, Luchs said. It is has a fundraising goal of $250,000 and is close to having a sufficient amount of money to break ground as early as next month.

It also has applied for a grant of nearly $635,000 through the state’s Local Share Account program that uses statewide gambling revenues to support public interest projects to improve the quality of life.

If the Commonwealth Financing Authority approves the application, the library will use that money to help pay for the construction, Luchs said.

Any remaining money will be used to enhance the library space, and possibly set up an endowment.

“It will make us have a dynamic project,” Luchs said.

When it does have more space, Luchs said they will cull the collection of more than 20,000 items to make sure it still is relevant.

The library board had asked the township for money, but Mark Petros, chairman of the township supervisors, said a contribution to the library was not in the budget.

The township has supported the library over the years, Petros said.

”We have bridges that need repaired,” as well financial needs at Crabapple Pool and Crabapple Lake, Petros said.