Dave Zuchowski, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Ground broken for long-awaited public library in Canonsburg:
"Warm hearts bested freezing temperatures and a half-foot of snow as two dozen braved the elements Friday to attend the groundbreaking for a $5 million Canonsburg library, slated to open in early 2011.
The proposed two-story building at Jefferson Avenue and Murdock Street has been on the planning board for at least 10 years, after the library board decided a new facility was needed to replace the crowded one in the borough building on East Pike Street.
But it wasn't until Canonsburg chocolate magnates Frank and Athena Sarris donated $1.5 million for the library's construction that the project picked up steam. Another $1 million earmarked by the state for construction plus an additional $100,000 in state money for land acquisition boosted the momentum to realizing the library board's long-sought goal.
"I'm glad to see that tax revenue is coming back to Canonsburg in the form of a new library," state Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, said.
Following the brief golden shovel ceremony at the site, participants attended a celebratory luncheon at the Southpointe Golf Club, where Mr. and Mrs. Sarris announced they would contribute an additional $400,000 to the project.
"I was raised in Canonsburg and am pleased to be able to give something back to the community," Mr. Sarris said.
The new library will serve the 30,000 residents of Canonsburg, North Strabane and Cecil, communities that make up the Canon-McMillan School District. To create space for the facility, seven buildings were removed from the site, which was chosen because it is centrally located, level and in an area slated for redevelopment.
"Our present library is overcrowded and shares the borough building with the police and fire departments, the district [judge] and borough administration," said Ila Stabile, capital campaign director. "When the new library is up and running, our space will increase from the present 3,800 square feet to around 33,000 square feet."
The Canonsburg Library opened in 1879 and has been relocated seven times. The population of the area is growing rapidly as major access roads and low county taxes make them popular "bedroom communities" for Pittsburgh workers, according to a summary published by the Greater Canonsburg Library Association.
The growing population has brought an influx of young, college-educated citizens and their families.
"Just as every community needs a school, they also should have a library to serve as a hub of learning," Washington County Commissioner J. Bracken Burns Sr. said. "Throughout life, from an early age through retirement years and everything in between, reading should have a place in everyone's life. Libraries are good places to gain knowledge and become exposed to a multitude of ideas."
The Pittsburgh Business Times has ranked the library's collection of books, DVDs, audio books, magazines and newspapers as No. 24 in southwestern Pennsylvania, but one of the facility's biggest liabilities is its lack of space.
"For the past 12 years, for every book I buy, I have to weed one out of the collection," said library director, Lyn Crouse. "We also have boxes of books sitting on top of our shelves. If a patron wants to borrow one, a staff member has to climb a step stool and get it for them."
Another liability is the library's lack of meeting space. Ms. Crouse said that people call her in need of a place to tutor students, Scout groups inquire about meeting space and businesses ask for training or conference rooms, but all have to be turned away.
The new library will have public meeting rooms and study areas.
"The library staff is very excited about the new construction plans," Ms Crouse said. "Our logo says that we're the civic, social, cultural and educational center of the community, and that's just what we intend to be.""
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10014/1028051-58.stm
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