(Schenectady, NY) Gary Hughes, Schenectady County Legislature Majority Leader and former Chair of the Committee on Libraries and Education, today announced that Schenectady County has closed on the property at 948-954 State Street that will be the new home of the Phyllis Bornt Branch Library and Family Literacy Center.  The County and City IDAs are partnering with the County and will provide funding of $120,000 towards the purchase price of the land.

“We are excited to take this next step in moving our Family Literacy Center forward,” said Legislator Hughes.  “The creation of the Family Literacy Center will not only help our families by equipping them with solid reading and writing skills, but will also clean-up a dilapidated site on State Street that will become a catalyst for additional development.”

The development of a Family Literacy Center within a new branch library is part of the County Library’s Restructuring Action Plan that was developed by the Library Board of Trustees and Schenectady County, with input from the Friends of the Library, Library Staff, and County residents.

“Schenectady County is extremely proud of our library system and has created an action plan that positions us for success in the future,” said Holly Vellano, Chair of the County Legislature’s Committee on Libraries and Education.  “Through our research and discussions within the community it became very clear that improved family literacy can have a dramatic impact on the educational success of our children and the economic health of our community.”

The County and Library staff collaborated to secure an Education Department grant for $136,000 and the Library Board of Trustees has authorized the use of funds from a bequest left by former County Librarian Phyllis Bornt to support the development of the County library branches. In total, $1.15 million from the County and the Bornt bequest have been committed towards the construction of the library branch.  Additional grants are in the works to provide additional funds for equipment and furnishings for the facility.

The new branch has been named in honor of the generosity of Phyllis Bornt, a former librarian who left a significant bequest in support of the library branches.