New Reading and Activity Courtyard

Have you ever noticed the courtyard next to the library? Hopefully you will soon!

The Courtyard right before we closed. Work had just been started.

While we are fortunate to continually expand our programming and collections to match our growing community, space is more of a premium than ever before. We are teaming up with South Fayette Township, the Friends of the South Fayette Township Library, and local businesses to refurbish our adjoining outdoor space, which is currently underutilized, to create a new Reading and Activity Courtyard.

The courtyard will serve as the library’s outdoor environmental education hub and provide quiet reading and working space for our library patrons. Exciting components of the new space include a pergola, rain barrel, refurbished beds filled with native plants, comfortable furniture, and a gated fence. Our Youth Services Staff is especially excited because they are going to be able to increase our environmental education programs and bring some of our existing programs outside when the weather is nice.

The Library has earmarked some of the revenue raised at our fall fundraiser, Beer for Books, for the project, but South Fayette Township, Friends, and local businesses are also chipping in.

Jeff Bourg, of Premier Landscape Services, was selected as the landscape company that will be completing the bulk of the work. Jeff and his family are South Fayette residents and library users. He is not only donating some of his costs, but he has also volunteered to provide semi-annual maintenance on the beds.

Cavanaugh’s Nursery and Supply is donating the plants and landscaping materials while the Friends of the South Fayette Township Library are providing the furniture.  Truly a community effort!

As we continue to plan for the long term future of the library, we also recognize there are many individuals and young children who will immediately benefit from additional space gained through modest improvements. The projected completion is late spring/early summer, and we are hoping that the timeline isn’t thrown off too much by current circumstances. We will make an announcement when the Reading and Activity Courtyard is officially open!