By Allison Musante, Staff Writer
PLAINSBORO The Township has received a $1 million grant from the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders to help fund the conversion of the former public library into a new recreation and cultural arts center.
The board presented the check to Mayor Peter Cantu at its May 12 meeting. The funds are being provided by the Middlesex County Open Space, Recreation and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund.
”The county is providing critical and significant support,” said Mayor Cantu. “They have been a partner in so many of our important projects and we are very grateful.”
The grant will be applied to the cost of remodeling the interior of the former library on Plainsboro Road, located in the municipal center complex, said administrator Bob Sheehan in a statement.
Plans for repairing and restoring the 19,200-square-foot building also include a new roof and re-skinning the exterior.
The design plans for the interior include meeting rooms, a cooking area, computer training rooms, a central gathering space with seating for 220 people and other spaces to accommodate art displays, lectures, concerts and other arts activities.
The donation is a large boost to the project’s total cost of about $4.7 million. Administrator Sheehan said the township is financing the project largely through a bond over 20 years.
Last July, the Township Committee adopted a $6.5 million bond ordinance for various expenses, including road improvements and public works equipment. Of the bond, about $3.5 million was earmarked for renovations to the library. The township also received a $75,000 donation from Novo Nordisk, a global health care firm with offices in Plainsboro.
Construction is expected to begin later this summer and take between 10 and 12 months to complete.

