St. Paul is making up for the temporary closing this year of two library branches by extending the hours for two other nearby branches through the fall.
Starting Monday, the Hayden Heights library at 1456 White Bear Av. and the Merriam Park library at 1831 Marshall Av. will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 1 to 5 p.m., Sundays.
The Highland Park and Sun Ray branches closed last month for renovation work. They are slated to reopen this fall.
The Highland Park library, which dates from 1954 and was redesigned in the 1970s, will be rebuilt at a cost of $7.9 million and get a new meeting room, an expanded children's area and a dedicated "teen zone." The 43-year-old Sun Ray library will get $5.5 million in improvements, including a new public plaza, a community room and a 2,500-square-foot expansion.
Total cost of the projects is $13.5 million, of which the city will pay $7 million.
KEVIN DUCHSCHERE
@KDuchschere
