Charleroi library rebrands
CHARLEROI – A public library in Charleroi has shed its name honoring a former resident who became the 25th governor of Pennsylvania.
The former John K. Tener Library is now named after the borough where it is located as part of a rebranding initiative.
“The library board took steps in late 2019 to change its name to the Charleroi Area Public Library to improve its brand identity as a community-based public library serving Charleroi and the surrounding communities,” board President Barbara Pepper stated in a news release.
Pepper said the library is not “fully retiring” the name “Tener,” a Charleroi banker who served as governor from 1911 to 1915.
The library will create a special section of the library dedicated to Tener, who also served as a U.S. representative and was a major league baseball player and executive.
Pepper said people were having trouble identifying the library while searching the internet because of its former name.
The library received a $200,000 grant from the Washington County Community Foundation and used other fundraisers to come up with $325,000 to restore the former post office built in 1912 at 638 Fallowfield Ave.
The exterior stone will be cleaned and repaired and new windows will be installed in the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
“It’ll make the building shine like it should,” Pepper said.
The work is expected to begin this month and be completed in October.
The $200,000 grant is part of the community foundation’s multi-year effort to assist small community-based libraries in Washington County in their transitions to community centers, said Betsie Trew, foundation president and CEO.
“In total $415,000 has been awarded to community-based libraries in the past three years, with the Charleroi Area Public Library receiving more than 50% of this amount,” Trew said. “A $25,000 grant awarded in 2019 to the library was used to improve building safety by upgrading the electrical system and replacing damaged flooring. This latest grant will help to provide a more welcoming experience to library patrons, in addition to helping to preserve a grand historic structure in the center of downtown Charleroi.”