RAD Announces $578,324 in Transformative Community Library Grants
C.C. Mellor, Sharpsburg libraries to receive special RAD grants for change-making projects
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Allegheny County’s biggest library funder is taking additional steps to provide help for two public libraries that serve distressed communities.
The Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) Board approved $578,324 in grants at its quarterly meeting to C.C. Mellor Memorial Library and the Sharpsburg Community Library, a branch of the Cooper-Siegel Community Library. The grants come from RAD’s Transformative Community Library Fund, a fund launched in 2022 to fund change-making projects at libraries within the Allegheny County Library Association.
RAD will provide a $500,000 grant to C.C. Mellor Memorial Library for renovations to its century-old building in Edgewood, including roof replacement and interior renovations. C.C. Mellor serves the Braddock Hills community among its five municipalities.
“We are thrilled to have the support of RAD as our first gift in a renovation project that will allow us to transform our library space making it more accessible, flexible and better able to meet the needs of our community,” said Erin Pierce, Library Director at C.C. Mellor. “Thanks to their support we are so much closer to making C.C. Mellor the ‘third space’ our community deserves.”
A $78,324 grant to the Sharpsburg Community Library will go toward courtyard renovations and remote locker installations in Sharpsburg and Blawnox.
“We are especially pleased that some of these funds will be used by Sharpsburg’s library to reassess its commitment to the local community by evaluating the times it should be open to serve the greatest number of residents – including weekends,” said Sylvia Fields, RAD Board Vice-Chair and RAD Library Committee member.
The grants follow an extensive community outreach process conducted by C.C. Mellor and Cooper-Siegel staff to survey residents and determine the areas of greatest impact for RAD funds. C.C. Mellor conducted one-on-one interviews with 17 Braddock Hills community leaders, which influenced the project plans to expand the adult space to the second floor of the building, which will accommodate larger flexible meeting spaces for the community.
Cooper-Siegel identified avenues for the library to increase its physical presence outside the walls of the Sharpsburg branch.
“We are immensely grateful to the RAD for their support of our projects that aim to break down barriers to library service in the communities we serve,” said Jill McConnell, Executive Director of Cooper-Siegel Community Library.
RAD, the largest funder of libraries in the Pittsburgh region, has provided generous support to public libraries in 2024. Earlier this year, RAD provided a $3.1 million grant to purchase 2,464 new computers at every RAD-funded library in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County Library Association systems. Those new computers were rolled out across the county this summer, thanks to the work of eiNetwork, the IT arm of Allegheny County’s libraries.
The RAD Transformative Community Library Fund has awarded more than $4 million in grants since its launch – funding vital projects in Braddock, Clairton, Homestead, McKeesport, Millvale and Swissvale. RAD also provided a one-time supplemental grant of $3 million in 2023 to libraries through the Allegheny County Library Association.
“RAD is for everyone, and our libraries do important work every day to serve everyone,” said Rich Hudic, RAD Executive Director. “These latest investments will help our libraries provide more opportunities for residents in these communities. We also look forward to pursuing additional ways for public libraries to help meet the needs of their neighbors by making them accessible during peak demand days and times for all.”
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