A temporary library opened upstairs in Holyoke City Hall in January 2012.
HOLYOKE -- The Holyoke Public Library could reopen after a $14.5 million renovation by mid-September, Library Director Maria G. Pagan said Tuesday.
"It's going to be sometime in September. We hope at least by the week of the 16th," Pagan said.
The 111-year-old library at 335 Maple St. has been closed since renovations began in December 2011.
A smaller version of the library has been operating out of the City Hall auditorium at Dwight and High streets since January 2012.
Renovations of the library included an addition built onto the rear of the building, adding 15,000 square feet to the existing 25,000 square feet. The work also was needed to address water and mold damage from years of roof leaks and to provide more space for public computer and children's areas, officials have said.
Construction has been by local contractors Fontaine Brothers Inc. The architect was Finegold Alexander & Associates, of Boston.
The renovation was paid for with a combination of city borrowing, funds from the library endowment, grants and fund-raising.
Working upstairs at City Hall has provided ups and downs. It was helpful to have a temporary library accessible to many people in the downtown location. But poor heating left staff and patrons freezing in winter and lack of air conditioning and proper ventilation makes for stale and steamy conditions in the summer.
Perhaps no one is more eager for the library to reopen than Pagan, director since 1996 and a library employee since 1985.
"Visit us and check us out. I hope everybody, once we open those doors, even if it's just once, they go through the doors so they see what we have to offer," Pagan said.