Hudson Library undergoes improvements

For the past five years, The Hudson Library of Highlands, N.C. Inc., library staff and organizations throughout the community have worked together to make several improvements to the library.

Starting several years ago, Board of Trustees President Andy Chmar said they were able to improve the exterior of the library thanks to grants from local organizations.

“The exterior of the building hadn’t been stained or painted in a while,” Chmar said. “There was also a fair amount of rot along the bottom of the building. We did a complete repair and replacement of the siding and then had gutters added to the back two thirds of the building. With the gutters, we had to build a drainage system that would carry the water to the back of the building. It was a pretty expensive project, but we had generous help from Mountain Findings.”

On the inside of the building, brand new signage and roofing was added. It was designed by Greenville-based McMillan Pazdan Smith, LLC and fabricated by 2/90 Sign Systems from Michigan.

“Before this year, there was no interior signage or wayfinding,” Chmar said. “It is a confusing building. So, that was a big project for us. The second portion of the project is that we renovated the lobby. It used to be very dark in the library, so we added new lighting. When we first designed the ceiling, it was supposed to be reflective and have LEDs come through, but that didn’t work. We had the architect, Paul Schmitt, come in and we asked him what we could do. He redesigned the ceiling and we replaced all of the lighting in there. It was a pretty significant project.”

In both cases, local organizations worked together to provide funding.

“The Cullasaja Women’s Outreach provided several grants in the last couple of years for the lobby improvements,” Chmar said. “Mountain Findings provided grants over several years for both outside and the signage improvements. We could not do this alone. It would drain the resources that we have. We still use our own assets, but this is enormously helpful and critical to undertaking and completing these projects.

Chmar said the updates were done because it was clear to the board that Hudson Library is a true asset to the community.

“Hudson Library is a little jewel within the community,” Chmar said. “As part of our long-term plan, we sent out surveys to residents. The results came back, and it was clear that people feel like this library is an asset to the Town of Highlands and the surrounding area. That, more than anything else, drives what we do and why we exist.”

As patrons come into the library, Chmar said he hopes they note the improved safety of the area.

“A lot of our patrons are of older age,” Chmar said. “With the lobby renovated, I think it improved the safety aspect of the library. I think it also improves the general first impression by having it well-lit and a good-looking entrance. That starts outside with the improvements that we made to the landscaping. Overall, we are trying to improve the patron experience from the moment they walk up.”

Now making final touches to the projects, Chmar said they are really proud of the improvements.

“We are really proud about how the library is looking,” Chmar said. “We are also excited for patrons to come into the library and know where they are going. Our board has been hugely involved in it, through committees, and hugely supported when the available funding didn’t provide what we needed, it closed the gap to achieve our outcome.”

- By Christopher Lugo