UNION VALE – The nearly 5,000 residents of the town will be getting a library of their own after the town board approved its creation. It will be the first new public library in Dutchess County since 2003.
The Union Vale Library will be established within Union Vale’s 500-acre municipal park, “Tymor” and built in a former dairy barn refurbished for this purpose, according to Town Supervisor Betsy Maas. In announcing the new library, Maas told Mid-Hudson News, “It will be uniquely Union Vale and will have something for every segment of our population.”
Operational costs for the library will reduced because the town already owns the building and land. “There will be no rent, no mortgage, and low utility costs as water and electricity will be connected to the park’s existing systems,” Maas noted. The library will function as a 501(c)(3) and will be soliciting financial support from donors in an effort to fund renovations without using taxpayer dollars.
In recent community engagement meetings concerning the proposed library, Maas said, “It became clear that more ties to the community were important to everyone. In addition, becoming full members of the Mid-Hudson Library System, having specialized services and kids’ programs, workspaces, a bookmobile/van for Seniors, a cybercafé, a community center, and park access were all things residents wanted.”
In approving the library, the town board said the purpose was to bring the community closer together. Town library consultant Alex Cohen told the town board that the library ” “Is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for your town.”
Maas said that the primary patrons of the library are Ralph and Jean Webster Connor, “Who often wondered why residents should leave their town to enjoy cultural arts and expand their horizons when it is possible to have everything right here in beautiful Union Vale.”
For Information about, or to donate to, the Union Vale Library Fund, contact: Peter Krulewitch at Unionvaleresidentslibraryfund@gmail.com.
