Library Renovation

Background

The library’s renovation began pre-Covid with a series of meetings with Woodland Hills School District officials including the board president, superintendent and assistant superintendent; the executive director of the Allegheny County Library Association; the Swissvale library director and the CCMellor library director.

The question being examined was, what was the best solution to the library’s lack of accessibility and worn out facility?

Community Input

These conversations resulted in two community meetings, where attendees expressed their strong preference that the library (which is owned and operated by the Woodland Hills School District) be renovated rather than replaced. With that in mind, an architect and contractor already working with the school district began design work, and a grant writer was hired to begin sending out funding requests.

Covid

Then came COVID. Funders altered their direction of grant making, to allow for the increased financial needs of the community during COVID.

In response, we shifted our approach to state grants, which were still available for capital needs in communities. However, these grants are reimbursable, which requires us to pay contractor costs before applying for reimbursement, and straining our cash flow.

Consequently, it’s a challenge to continually meet this requirement and will continue to challenge us during Phase 2, as we seek $1.2M in working capital and matching funds.

The Team

The previous design team’s contract with Woodland Hills School District expired before renovation could begin. This gave library director, Kate Coluccio, the opportunity to seek a design team with specific knowledge of historic libraries.

Kate sought the advice of Ron Graziano, facilities manager at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, since CLP has done several successful renovations through the years.

Winter 2026

Phase 1 – the outside part – is nearly complete:

• Finish replacing the roof.
• Finish repairing the roof parapet.
• Finish the a curb cut-out on McClure for safe patron drop-off.
• Finish the new front steps.
• Finish the a new concrete pad for the monuments, and a more open yard.
• Finish sewage/water system upgrades.
• Finish cleaning the outside of the building, including terra cotta around the front door.

Keep watching as more outside work gets done every day. We expect the outside work to be completed by the last week of February, 2026.

Spring 2026

Phase 2 is slated to start in the spring and will include:

• The elevator (!)
• Accessible restrooms
• Larger children and teen spaces
• Lower-level meeting and activity spaces – for children, seniors, and community groups
• New HVAC system
• Increased electrical capacity for staff and patrons