PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. — Renovation work on a decades-old Ozaukee County library begins this week.
The W. J. Niederkorn Library in Port Washington will receive a variety of upgrades via a $1.1 million state grant. The library will add new private study rooms, add new flooring, remodel the downstairs bathrooms and replace the kitchenette used for events, along with other smaller improvements.
The library has been a fixture of Port Washington's Grand Avenue for more than six decades. Library director Tom Carson says the work is badly needed.
Watch: Renovation work on Port Washington library starts Tuesday
"Libraries play such a critical role in communities," Carson said.
The work will start Tuesday, when crews begin to remove a small amount of asbestos found behind the old kitchenette's cabinets. Carson said the removal will not be costly, and it should be complete around the end of the month.
"It was hidden behind cabinets, but it has to be done," Carson said.
For library patrons like long-time Port Washington resident Lonne Schreiner, the changes are welcome. Schreiner brings her adult son Tony to the library every week to pick up books. Tony has autism and reads at a second-grade level.
"I was here in high school, so I know how old this place is," Schreiner said. "There's just so much you can do (at the library) that you didn't think you could."
The rest of the renovations are expected to start in late Spring to early Summer.
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