The Harrison Public Library will take advantage of a state grant to make improvements to the roof of the Richard E. Halperin Memorial Library Building.
In order to maintain the building, which is located at 2 Bruce Ave. adjacent to Ma Riis Park, the library will undergo an estimated $123,000 in long-needed roof work.
Harrison’s library is among a number of other municipalities’ libraries that received state grants for construction, including ones in Bedford Hills, Katonah, North Castle and White Plains. Funding for the projects is part of the 2016-2017 state budget, which allocated an estimated $402,000 for the improvements.
“Our community libraries are a focal point for gathering and learning,” said state Sen. George Latimer, a Rye Democrat who joined Assemblyman David Buchwald, a White Plains Democrat, to help the municipal libraries acquire the grant money.
The library’s roof work comes after several improvements to other buildings of the public library.
Last September, the West Harrison Branch remained closed for four months for an array of construction work, including replacement of the building’s carpeting and fresh paint.
The branch, which is located at 2 Madison St., also saw a removal of the building’s asbestos tiles, which came as a later addition to the $250,000 in improvements.
In addition to that, the branch received several new laptops, Apple desktop computers, and two new iPad tablets.
In 2015, the branch received a $26,500 grant to replace its doors to increase energy efficiency and accessibility. Two years before that, the library was awarded two state grants, including one for $15,000 to replace 20 windows and another for $35,000 to upgrade its roof and air conditioning systems.
Dave Donelson, the vice president of the board of trustees of the library, and Galina Chernykh, director of the Harrison Public Library, could not be reached for comment, as of press time.
Currently, there is no timeline for when construction will begin and for how long it will last. Last year’s improvements to the West Harrison Branch were originally supposed to conclude in a month; however, the work lasted into December.
