By Stephen Appezzato
MIDDLETOWN – After about a year of construction, the Middletown Township Public Library (MTPL) hosted a grand reveal this week. The library underwent an extensive $1.7 million renovation, enhancing about 15,000 square feet of interior space to meet the evolving needs of the community.
“We have been looking forward to this day for a very long time,” said MTPL library director Kathryn Hammond. “I just want to thank our community for your patience, your flexibility, your understanding; this was a long process and you guys have been so patient and understanding,” she said at the ribbon cutting Monday. During the year of construction, library staff worked diligently to keep the facility open for residents and maintain its programming.
Hammond also expressed gratitude for the community’s support and excitement as the library prepared to unveil its new features.
“Throughout this entire process, it’s been our goal to have the library open and be able to serve the public the same as we did prior to closing off this space,” Hammond said. “And I think we’re very proud that we have been able to do just that.”
The library, located on New Monmouth Road just east of Route 35, was built in 1971.
“The last time the library was renovated was about 20 years ago,” Hammond said. At the time, the library was closed and staff worked out of a satellite location in the current Whole Foods shopping plaza. According to its website, the MTPL was unable to expand upwards or create additions, so reconfiguring the existing space was the best solution.
The project’s design reflects changes in technology and input from the community. Kurt Vierheilig, director of design and partner at DMR Architects, said the improvements are going to benefit library users over the coming years and the upgrades “will really help guide this library into the future, offering real benefits to the community.”
The renovations, constructed by Reliable, NYC Inc., include an expanded and enhanced reference area, new conference rooms and private study spaces, an expanded seating area and more. Residents can also access a state-of-the-art Makerspace with 3D printing and much more. “The input and excitement we’ve seen from the community was overwhelming for that room,” Hammond said. On April 7, the MTPL will host a 3D printer training class to review printing basics and provide safety training for using the Makerspace. Other programs for budding artists include a Cricut training class April 9; sublimation design training April 15; and laser cutter training April 17. After residents complete these classes, they will be certified to use these technologies during Makerspace open hours or by appointment.
Library staff also hope their new history room, now three times larger, will attract researchers and community members interested in learning more about Middletown, Monmouth County and New Jersey history. The expansion of the history room will provide ample space for the library’s growing collection of Middletown and New Jersey historical materials, which residents can access.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Mayor Tony Perry thanked library staff, contractors and everyone involved in the renovation. “What you see here behind us, what you see in this great history room over here is that new definition of what a library can be,” he said. “What a great day for the Middletown library. What a great day for Middletown.”
The article originally appeared in the April 3 – April 9, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
