CATO — The Stewart B. Lang Memorial Library, located in the village of Cato, is planning a capital-improvement project to construct a larger, modern facility to accommodate the growing mix of services it offers patrons. Still in its initial stages, the library’s project seeks to add multi-purpose spaces for library and community programs, events, and […]
CATO — The Stewart B. Lang Memorial Library, located in the village of Cato, is planning a capital-improvement project to construct a larger, modern facility to accommodate the growing mix of services it offers patrons.
Still in its initial stages, the library’s project seeks to add multi-purpose spaces for library and community programs, events, and activities; an area dedicated to children’s activities and materials; comfortable areas for reading, studying, tutoring, and socializing; and technology equipment including laptops, wireless printers, and web-based collaboration platforms, the library says.
Lang Memorial Library has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Cayuga Community Fund, an affiliate fund of the Central New York Community Foundation. The library will use the grant to help finance architectural and planning costs for the capital-improvement project.
The library has contracted with a local architect, Jill E. Fudo of Weedsport, to develop a design and guide the library through the project, Jim Dillon, president of the Lang Memorial Library board of directors, tells CNYBJ in an email.
When asked about costs, Dillon says, “The total cost of the project is really guesswork at this point, because we don’t yet have a design that can be priced. For purposes of this grant application, I guesstimated the cost at $500.000.”
He adds that the library expects to apply for state library construction funding, if still available when it is ready to proceed. “We are starting to explore other grant sources, and we also anticipate a fundraising campaign. We do have some self-funding capability, and we’ll be using our own money to cover some of the total cost,” he adds.
Stressing that the project is still in its beginning stages, Dillon says the library’s goal is to complete it in time to celebrate its 2026 centennial.
The Stewart B. Lang Memorial Library is a member of the Finger Lakes Library System that started with a provisional charter granted in 1926. It serves the residents of the Cato-Meridian Central School District.
