If all goes according to plan, residents should see the opening of a new Stillwater Public Library in about a year, village officials were told at their September meeting.

Presenting the latest library design plans and construction documents to the Village Board of Trustees on Sept. 20 was project architect Meghan Brennan of Butler Rowland May Architects, Ballston Spa. Joining Brennan was Library Director Sara Kipp.

New Stillwater Public Library architectural drawings

The new, much larger library building should go out to bid within weeks and be completed by the fall of 2023, Brennan said, at the site of the former Stillwater Fiber Mill, 712 Hudson Ave. Stillwater voters, in October 2021, approved a $4.4 million referendum (350-191) to purchase the former mill turned into apartments and reconstruction it into a two-story modern library facility.

The current library has been housed at the nearly 150-year-old former St. John’s Episcopal Church just up the road since 1959 and has outgrown its 2,650 square foot space there. The new library, Brennan said, would be three times as large at 7,400 total square feet with a renovation of the existing mill building and the construction of a new 1,400-square-foot addition.

The renovated building would feature lots of glass, new composite material that looks like wood and an elevator to the second floor. “We want to keep the original character of the existing building with a modern upgrade and new look,” Brennan said.

The library entry would be on Hudson Avenue with a 26-space, paved parking lot, and sidewalk that connects to the Stillwater Blockhouse. The new library will include a free public use state-of-the-art community room that can seat up to 40 people including tables.

The library will remain open in its current location until the project is complete. You can learn more about the new library construction project on the library website at:

https://stillwater.sals.edu/?page_id=184530