Pinney Library on Madison’s east side received official approval for major renovations Wednesday night, according to Ald. Denise Demarb, District 16.
Construction is slated for mid-2018, with the library set to be completed by late 2019. The plans for the renovation of the current Pinney Library will double the library's size to 20,000 square feet. According to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, $11.7 million is allocated to the construction, with $2.5 million coming from independent donations and $9.2 million from city borrowing.
Ald. David Ahrens, District 15, told the Wisconsin State Journal that the goal of the renovations is to provide a community center that can fill the cultural, civil and social needs of the community.
According to a Jan. 31 presentation by OPN Architects, the new library will have double the amount of community space, additional study rooms and a dedicated space for children and teens.
Another addition is Madison’s first PlayLab, a center that will promote early literacy in children up to three years old. The additional square footage for both the young adult’s and children’s collections will total almost 3,000 square feet.
The library renovation will also increase the square footage of the adult collection by 2500 square feet.
There will also be flexible space where the community can play a role in deciding how it will be utilized.
Construction documents are expected to be produced Monday, Feb. 19th which will lay out the exact changes to be made in greater detail.
