The walls are going up inside the Pearl River Public Library. The renovation of the library's building at 80 Franklin Avenue, paid for by a $14.3 million bond that Pearl River School District voters approved in May 2023, had reached about the halfway point by June, and by September the Friends of the Library were walking through rooms framed in new drywall. The library's latest project update, posted October 31, shows the new library taking shape.

Services have not stopped while the work goes on. The library moved its services into temporary space in the former Ringner's furniture building for the construction period, and it keeps regular hours there, at the address it now lists, 75 East Central Avenue.

What the renewal will change

The project is meant to fix two long-standing problems with the building, a shortage of space and difficult access, and the library's Renewal Advisory Committee set out five goals for it.

  • More room: a larger Children's Room with its own program space, meeting rooms in small, medium and large sizes with technology built in, quiet reading and study areas, and Wi-Fi, outlets and charging stations throughout.
  • Access for everyone: full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a new barrier-free main entrance, vestibule and lobby, stroller parking, clearer signs, a space for nursing mothers, and accommodations for people with hearing loss.
  • A building that works: new heating and cooling, lighting that makes use of daylight, upgraded fire protection and plumbing, and a target of LEED Silver-equivalent efficiency or better.
  • Repairs: the roof, brick masonry, concrete, doors, windows and wood trim, with the interior reorganized into six zones: Welcome, Community, Service and Support, Children's, Teen and Young Adult, and Adult.
  • Local history: archival storage and exhibition space, with room for preservation, digitization and audio recording, coordinated with local historic preservation groups.

How the project got here

Library Director Eugenia Schatoff presented the plan to the Board of Education in March 2023, two months before the bond vote. In 2024 the library laid out and built its temporary space at Ringner's, and geotechnical soil borings on the library site were finished that June. Construction formally began with a ceremony in August 2025, and a fence went up around the building that November, limiting the site to the construction teams.

In January 2026 the library received $359,027 in State Aid for Library Construction through the state's library construction grant program, with support from State Senator Bill Weber. That money is going toward new windows.

How to follow along, and help

The library posts each step of the work on its Latest Updates page. Residents who want to contribute can do so through the library's Support the Renewal Project page, including the Adopt-a-Shelf program, which lets donors sponsor shelving in the renovated building. The library has not yet announced a reopening date.

Pearl River Public Library (temporary location): 75 East Central Avenue, Pearl River. Monday through Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday noon to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. 845-735-4084.

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