Young people in T-shirts and jeans trundled wheelbarrows full of topsoil from a pile in front of the future Millvale Community Library down a narrow, muddy path to the rear of the building on Grant Avenue.

Instead of soaking up sunshine at oceanfront resorts, six women and three men, students at the University of Vermont, spent their spring break last week working in the riverfront community.

They arrived March 6 and worked through Saturday. Their ambitious schedule called for them to, among other things, patch and prime the facade, clean and patch the chimney, fill a dumpster with debris, hang drywall, seal the floor and chimney, complete demolition of an upstairs apartment, modify shelving and build a community garden.

On March 8 they spread 16 cubic yards of topsoil for the garden, supervised by volunteer coordinators Tom Walker and Linda Lang. The area had been a large gravel parking lot for the former property owners, J. Rudy & Associates. Last fall, volunteers removed the gravel and planted rye grass, but the students had to clear the ground of snow before spreading topsoil.

They were participants in the university's Alternative Spring Break; 130 students fanned out to help with 13 projects including working with people with AIDS, urban farming and poverty relief, according to adviser Lluvia Mulvaney-Stanak, assistant director of Leadership and Civic Engagement Programs. The Millvale project was listed on an Internet volunteer match site.

They said a desire to contribute prompted their volunteer work.

Craig Guild, 19, a freshman political science/philosophy student, said he grew up in a town like Millvale where some people needed help.

"I couldn't be happier," he said of his assignment here.

Preston Carter, 21, a junior sociology major, said, "I wanted to get out in the community and do something," "I take any opportunity to do community work," said co-site leader Nicole Constantine, 20, a junior from New York City who is studying art history.

Mr. Walker, a senior multi-media designer for Mullen, a Pittsburgh advertising agency, showed a plan for the garden to a visitor. He pointed out an area on the left where four or five 4-foot-by-8-foot raised beds could hold vegetable gardens, and a 400-foot shade garden along the right side. Residents can register to use one of the available plots.

A stage, hammocks, a play area in the middle lawn, sculptures - including one by sculptor James Simon of a dog balancing books on its head - and bird feeders will be part of the mix. At the back of the property, there will be a wet area and bog gardens, he said. Eagle Scout John Nugent of Hampton raised money for a fence that was installed by Boy Scouts.

If more people apply for garden space than what's available there, an alternative could work, the coordinators said.

"If there's an overflow response, there may be other vacant lots in the borough which could be developed into gardens," Mr. Walker said.

Ms. Lang, a Medrad retiree, recruited 14 company employees to do preliminary work at the library site on Points of Light Day.

"I love to garden. I have a very small plot at home and I will work with Irene Rudy, the former property owner, to transplant flowers, et cetera," she said, adding she would like to get others involved. She and Mrs. Rudy already have planted some perennials and fruit trees and will accept contributions of bulbs and cuttings.

The library campaign began almost three years ago during a town cleanup, when borough residents Brian Wolovich and Tricia George came up with the idea of establishing a borough library.

In June 2008, the committee purchased property at 209-213 Grant Ave. from J. Rudy & Associates, which had operated an electronics repair business there. The building at 213 will house the library, but the space next door could be developed later.

The project is sponsored by New Sun Rising, a nonprofit organization founded by Mr. Wolovich and his brother, Scott, after Hurricane Katrina. The all-volunteer undertaking is funded by donations and grants. No projected cost for the library is available because of the in-kind contributions received from area businesses. Volunteers work at the site every Saturday and more are always welcome to help.

Friday, co-site leader Mae Baldwin, 21, a junior philosophy major, summed up her impressions of the project.

"The investment people have in this place is incredible. The project has a long way to go, and I hope they stay invested. It will be a valuable part of the community," she said.

During their stay, students were housed in the rectory of the former St. Nicholas Church.

"We had a whole house, instead of sleeping bags on the floor somewhere, and we were really blown away by how welcoming people have been," Ms. Baldwin said.

Plans for the library will be on view tonight at 7 during a library committee meeting in the Millvale Community Center, 416 Lincoln Ave.

"The design concept already has been approved and we are finishing the construction documents," Rob Pfaffmann of Pfaffmann+Associates said. "The final set of plans will be presented at the meeting."

People interested in registering for a garden plot can do so at info@millvalelibrary.org and at North Hills Community Outreach's annual pasta dinner from 4-7 p.m. April 16 at Millvale Community Center, 416 Lincoln Ave.

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