PRINCETON: Awarding construction bid the next milestone for ‘2Reimagine’ library renovation project

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton Public Library trustees are scheduled to award a bid on Tuesday to a construction firm to renovate the second floor of the library, the first major renovation of a building that opened in 2004.
The bid award will be the next milestone of the “2Reimagine” project announced last year to create a modern space to learn and study. Officials have said from the outset that the renovation would take six to eight months: creating more rooms for groups to work in, a 60-seat reading room, a “newsroom” for print and digital news media, among other features. They are eyeing the project finishing toward the latter part of this year or early next.
“That’s what we’re definitely aiming for,” said library executive director Brett Bonfield by phone Thursday.
“2Reimagine” has a budget of around $3 million, with nearly the whole amount coming from donations.
During the time that crews are on site, the library will remain open; only the first and third floors will be accessible to the public. Mr. Bonfield said the noisier parts of the job are expected to occur in the hours when the library is closed to the public.
While the second floor is closed, there will be around 25 computers that people can work from on the first floor. Also, at various points the community room will be a workspace.
Library officials last year had considered having a satellite location, during the project, for quiet workspace but declined to pursue that option. One of the spaces that was considered was in Palmer Square.
Some 30,000 nonfiction books that will be stored off-site still will be available to patrons upon request, Mr. Bonfield said. Some of the higher circulation books, including travel guides and cook books, will be on the first floor.