Reply #36: A wish list ...

[LiberalAndProud]

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=171397

Philadelphia Parkway Central Library needs $70M to start renovation

Philadelphia Business Journal - by Athena D. Merritt Staff Writer

The Philadelphia Parkway Central Library must raise another $70 million to break ground on its $175 million renovation project.

Officials hope to close nearly half of that funding gap by securing $30 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Appeals for federal stimulus funding have been taken to local, state and federal officials. The library is also preparing to launch a marketing and branding effort, which would emphasize the importance of their resources, William Sasso, chairman of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, said.

“There’s not any base we’ve left untouched, we’ve had a lot of meetings,” Sasso said.

With funding in place, construction could begin in as little as 60 days on the project which would add 180,0000 square feet of new space. The project would add a new teen center, 550-seat auditorium, double the space in the children’s library and increase the number of public access computers from 80 to 300. Reading lounges and a glass-enclosed pavilion with a cafe and shops would also be added under the expansion.

How do you use Stimulus Watch? Watch the video tour!

StimulusWatch.org was built to help the new administration keep its pledge to invest stimulus money smartly, and to hold public officials to account for the taxpayer money they spend. We do this by allowing you, citizens around the country with local knowledge about the proposed "shovel-ready" projects in your city, to find, discuss and rate those projects. These projects are not part of the stimulus bill. They are candidates for funding by federal grant programs once the bill passes. Learn more by reading the FAQs.