PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Today, officials announced $700,000 in funding for improvements to the Providence Public Library.
The library is home to hundreds of stories, and local lawmakers want to make sure it has space for even more, earmarking hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring the community into this space.
“When we invest in the library we invest in the future of this country. We invest in opportunity, we invest in progress. We invest in the things we hold dearly.” said Senator Jack Reed during a press conference.
The bulk of funding will go towards renovations inside the more than a hundred-year-old building, working to mitigate water damage in the older sections, and bring newer areas into the 21st century.
“The space currently is unusable. It also is leaking,” said Executive Director Jack Martin.
“There are three skylights that used to be usable but in the 80s’ a bunch of snow slid off the 1900 roof and broke them. And so they just covered them over, and so we’re hoping to open those up as well and that will bring more light downstairs as you’re checking out books and that will be beautiful,” he said.
“And then hopefully we’re going to put a deck out there as well,” he added.
The courtyard space would be a new addition to the library, while the skylights would be a renovation.
Martin says the funding is only expected to cover around half of the cost, considering the age of the building and the preservation work needed as improvements continue.
“We’re looking at probably a $1.5 to $2 million dollar project,” said Martin.
“We do need more time to raise the funds, we’ll probably need to hire and architect, we might need a preservation expert. We’ll definitely need some engineers as well. So it’s going to be a long process, but I think ultimately, in the end, everybody will love it,” he said.
The funding is earmarked for 2025, and Martin said he hopes to start the work by next summer.