Renovation work continues on the Oakmont-Carnegie Library in anticipation of a late-summer dedication.

The tentative date for the dedication is late August, said library board President Terry Griffin.

Although he said he is disappointed that the completion time has been extended, Griffin believes the renovated library building "is going to be an excellent structure when done."

The Oakmont-Carnegie Library began when the Oakmont Women's Club invited Andrew Carnegie to the town in 1893 to start the library with a $25,000 donation.

Groundbreaking for construction of an addition and other improvements to the building was in December 2003, after a third request for proposals finally brought in bids in a range the borough could afford. The base bid was just under $2 million. With additions and alternatives, the project cost is running at approximately $2.4 million.

The Oakmont Library Board has raised about $1.3 million, some of which will be used for interior furnishings and equipment as well as construction work. In 2003, a bond issue was approved by referendum for $1.4 million to cover costs.

The renovation project includes increasing the size of the historically registered building and making it more accessible to the handicapped, mothers with strollers and others with mobility difficulty.

The project also includes work on sewer line relocation, lighting, wiring and floors. Remodeling is being done around the steps to the basement in the original section of the building constructed 112 years ago. Everything from that section has been moved to the new addition, thanks to the work of library staff and volunteers, council member Douglas Myers said.

Work under way on the addition includes shelving on the first floor and finishing the area where workers broke through the old part of the building to connect to the new.

Concrete was poured last month for the new stairs on Pennsylvania Avenue. The former main entrance to the building on Allegheny River Boulevard will become an emergency exit, with the new main entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue.

While the library is open for business, the older side of the library is closed off, and patrons must enter via the handicapped ramp on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Myers said that the architecture on the new section is completely different from the old but provides a very nice mix of old blending into new.

"Everything is moving along," he said, adding that the nice weather will allow outside work, such as concrete and landscaping, to be done.

Despite the effort to get everything moved from one section to another, Myers said the library has been closed for only three weeks during the entire project.

The library board still is looking for donations, Myers said, to purchase items, such as furniture, media equipment and desks, to give the building a "homey" feel. He said the library board and architects have been able to keep the project costs close to what they anticipated because of the hard work of the library board and project architect, who are spending the money wisely.

"It will be very nice when it's completed," he said.