MAMARONECK —Book lovers will have to wait a while longer to get into the village’s newly-renovated library.
The Mamaroneck Public Library has postponed by nearly two weeks its long-awaited reopening to Thursday, June 30, its board announced Wednesday.
The library has yet to reschedule the “grand reopening” ceremony originally scheduled for this Saturday, but said a new date will be announced shortly.
A number of facility-related “punch-list items” must still be resolved before the building can open, Carolyn Pomeranz, spokeswoman for the library board, said.
“It’s just slightly not ready,” she said. “There’s a lot of little, tiny things. It’s nothing major.”
Library Director Susan Benton, in a brief phone conversation this morning, declined to explain in detail why the opening has been delayed. Helen Rafferty, chair of the library board’s building committee, did not immediately respond to messages.
“We regret any inconvenience this causes for our patrons and the community,” library Board President Jefferson Meighan said in a statement. “The library staff, our board, and our community are all excited and anxious to use this wonderful new facility … unfortunately, we’ll just have to wait a bit longer.”
He added: “I can promise you, it will be definitely worth the wait!”
The opening date has been pushed back nearly a year since the project kicked off. Construction was originally expected to begin as early as spring 2008, but after a series of snags early on, work didn’t get underway until February 2009.
The two-year project includes renovations to the old 17,000-square-foot building and construction of a 14,000-square-foot addition next door.
The library closed its 1,800-square-foot temporary site at 102 Mamaroneck Ave. last month to begin moving to the renovated building around the corner at 136 Prospect Ave.
While the library facilities are closed, the book drop in front of the former temporary library facility at 100-102 Mamaroneck Ave. will still be available for book returns.
A Mamaroneck library card will work to check out books either online or at any other library in Westchester County. To check out books online, visit www.mamaronecklibrary.org and click on the E-Resources heading on the left. Then click on the link to the “online catalog” to find the book or library material you are seeking. You can also access the library system’s online e-books and other materials through the website.
PHOTO: The Mamaroneck Public Library won’t reopen in its newly-renovated building at 136 Prospect Ave. on June 18, as previously planned. Photo taken Thursday, April 21, 2011.(Colin Gustafson/The Journal News)
