Courtesy of Stillwater Libray
Stillwater is culminating a 5-year library building project at their new library location at 712 Hudson Avenue, Stillwater. A grand opening celebration is planned for Saturday, December 2, from 3pm to 5pm, beginning with a formal ceremony, including opening remarks by community leaders, followed by a ribbon-cutting, facilitated by the Capital Region Chamber, starting at 3:30pm. The afternoon event will include an Open House and tours of the new library. Light refreshments will be served.
The opening of the new library was years in the making beginning with multiple focus group meetings and public forums in 2019 to assess the ability of the 147-year-old former St John’s Episcopal Church location (that held the former library since 1959) to meet the continuing needs of the community. It was determined that the space was not sufficient to accommodate what the community requested, including meeting and class spaces, as well as accessibility for individuals with limited mobility. It was deemed that an alternative space was necessary to be able to offer what residents were looking for. Site reviews began in July, and an identification of the Fiber Mill at 712 Hudson Avenue as the most fiscally responsible space to move the library into, came in December. Next came COVID, which slowed the library project’s progress significantly.
In October of 2021, a referendum was voted on by the residents of the Stillwater Central School District as to whether to purchase and renovate a new library facility. The vote in favor of the project won by a landslide of 350 to 191.
“Our new library has been a labor of love for quite some time,” said Library Board President, Heather Frank. “This project has evolved over the years from building an addition to our existing building to the realization that we need a new building to truly meet the needs of our community. We couldn’t be more proud of the end result. We still have some finishing touches that will help to make this house our home, but we can’t wait for the community to take full advantage of what our new library has to offer. Sara Kipp, Director of the Library, has really been the engine that has kept this project moving forward and we are so proud of the end result!”
The Fiber Mill, the former Stillwater tissue mill, has made double the number of books and 27 parking spaces possible. The move to the new space has allowed for an 8528 square foot facility compared to the former 2650 square foot library. The project was estimated as $4.4 million dollars in scope and is funded by NYS Construction Grants, public and private donations, and support from taxpayers. This new fully accessible site is now a dedicated space for local history, allowing the children’s room to be larger and allowing full accessibility to all patrons. The new expanded library can now offer many new programs and services.
“After surveying the public as to what they needed and assessing the best way to do it, we are very excited to present this iconic building!” said Library Director Sara Kipp. “The project was paid for by Stillwater School District residents, grants, and donations. We are grateful to the Dake Family Foundation, who donated $75,000 for windows in the children’s section of the library, and to the Canal Way Corporation, who donated $100,000 toward the project. It was great to witness the tremendous community interest in the move to the Fiber Mill. This new location celebrates an appreciation of life around the River and Stillwater’s role in the history of the canal. We invite the community to come and celebrate the opening of our new community library with us!”