County Executive Marc Molinaro announced that the library will receive a $200,000 Community Development Block Grant to add two modern, ADA-compliant lavatories to the main library building. The Community Development Block Grant is a federal program administered by the County. The library’s application was jointly sponsored by the Town of Pawling and Village of Pawling.

The lavatory project involves removing an oil tank that is currently buried where the restrooms will be constructed. Once the buried tank is replaced with an environmentally safer, above-ground tank, the location will house two new restrooms which will be fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. They will include diaper changing stations, and will be accessible by an entrance through a newly created vestibule.. The existing lavatory will then be converted to a storage space. Thanks to the Community Development Block Grant, all three aspects of this project will be paid for without direct cost to Pawling residents. Library Director, Brian Avery stated, “We are extremely grateful to the Town and Village for sponsoring the library’s application, to Dutchess County for recommending our project for funding by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and to the federal government for making the funds available for this long-overdue project.”