Feb 15, 2013 2 min read

Citizens Library in Washington has been awarded a $500,000 state grant to overhaul it’s nearly 50-year-old heating and air conditioning system, part of $3.7 million awarded statewide under the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund.

The half-million dollar award was the maximum allowed under the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund and only five grants of that amount were awarded statewide.

Library director Diane L. Ambrose said the library’s main building, erected in 1965, is still using the original heating and cooling system. The planned $1.4 million overhaul should significantly lower energy consumption and costs.

“This grant is an investment in the library that will pay dividends for years to come,” Ambrose said. “New equipment and new technology will help us save a significant amount of money, helping us continue to provide the services that the community expects.”

An endowed trust set aside specifically for capital improvements will provide the dollar-for-dollar match required by the grant program.

Combined with money awarded for infrastructure improvements at Starpointe Business Park on Monday, the grant means Washington County legislators have been successful in winning $2 million in competitive state grants in the past week.

“For a long time the economy in this region really struggled and I think that has made officials here sharp and focused,” said state Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg. “We’ve been able to combine massive new private investment with a determined approach to winning public financing and we’re building an economy that will sustain itself for the long term and the infrastructure needed to support it.”