Library grant expedites sewer work, sidewalk installation

Construction of the new building scheduled for March Warwick — Take a stroll down McFarland Lane just off Forester and you’ll see construction activity at the future site of Warwick’s new library. Work on the new library will begin in earnest in March 2008. Thanks to a New York State Public Library Construction grant, some infrastructure work on Warwick’s new library now is underway. Most recently, the library received $76,000 for sewer-line work. The funds are the second cycle of a grant that also brought $48,000 to help with site grading and sidewalk installation. “The work is being done on the fast track,” said Rosemary Cooper, director of the Albert Wisner Public Library. “We had to get the contract in hand and we have about 40 days to see the work done.” The Albert Wisner Public Library was the only library in Orange County to receive this grant. “Everything is on schedule,” added Cooper. “We are still very confident we will meet an end-of-January bid deadline with construction beginning in March.” In March of this year, voters in the Warwick Valley Central School District approved a measure to build a new, 20,000-square-foot library on the 2.2 acres of land donated by Leyland Alliance, builders of Warwick Grove. The library will cost about $8.5 million, and donations have added to the fund. Aside from the grants and the donated land, the proceeds from the sale of the current 80-year-old library will go toward the debt. In January, an anonymous donor pledged $100,000 for enhancements to the new library. The Friends of the Library and individuals in the community have donated over $200,000 for the new building.