Library Restoration Enters Its Final Stretch, With a Fall Reopening in Sight

A contractor is rebuilding the reading room and mezzanines; the Borough expects substantial completion in early fall

Staff · September 8, 2026

The Bound Brook Memorial Library is closer to reopening than it has been at any point since it closed. In a construction update issued July 27, the Borough said the alteration phase of the restoration is underway inside the historic building, with substantial completion expected in early fall 2026.

What's been done

The first hurdle was the building itself. Asbestos abatement, under a $321,000 contract the Borough awarded in October 2024, was finished in January 2026. That cleared the way for the construction contract, which the Borough awarded to Westcraft Builders in May.

What's happening now

Westcraft's crews are restoring the Adult Reading Room, the main level, and both mezzanine levels. According to the Borough, that work is the alteration phase of the project and is the piece expected to wrap up this fall.

A third phase, covering the Children's Area, the Conference Room, and the Archive Room, will follow later. The Borough has not given a date for it.

The reopening

When the current phase is substantially complete, the Borough plans a ribbon-cutting ceremony in partnership with the Somerset County Library System, which operates the branch. The update does not name a date, and "early fall" leaves room for the usual construction slippage, but it is the first time the Borough has put the reopening within a season rather than a year.

Business Administrator Jasmine D. McCoy called the abatement "a major milestone in restoring this historic building" and said the Borough is committed to making the library an accessible and inclusive space for all residents.

Paying for it

Beyond the construction contracts, the project has drawn on a $70,350 grant from the Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund. That money paid for the preservation plan, the building's National Register of Historic Places nomination, and the architectural and engineering drawings that the current work is built on. We covered that grant, and the building's history, in our April report on the renovation.

What to watch for

The next public milestones should be the announcement of a ribbon-cutting date and an opening date for the branch. The Somerset County Library System's site at sclsnj.org is where hours and services will be posted once the branch is back on the schedule. We'll update this story when the Borough sets a date.

Source: Borough of Bound Brook construction update, July 27, 2026 (PDF).