City residents will have a chance Tuesday to vote on a $14 million renovation plan for the Kingston Library. The vote will take place today, Sept. 20 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the library located at 55 Franklin St. Voters will also cast ballots for six library board members and on the 2023 tax levy to fund operations.

Backers of the bond ordinance say that it will fund the final step in a master plan developed a decade ago to bring the library, which opened in 1899, into the 21st century. The plan grew out of a series of community engagement meetings held in 2013 to gauge what users wanted from their local public library. It’s already guided the renovation of the library’s children and teen rooms and exterior upgrades.

The plan’s next and last step calls for temporarily closing down the library and carrying out a full renovation and replacement of aging systems. The project would completely replace the library’s electrical and HVAC infrastructure and includes installation of an ADA-compliant external elevator and a new wheelchair ramp. Other elements of the proposal would expand the footprint of the library and remake the interior to create what library officials call a more “modern and welcoming space.”

The work would be funded with a $14 million, 25-year bond issued by the library. The impact on library tax rates would be 45 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for the life of the bond. That figure amounts to $90 annually on a home assessed at $200,000. In a statement issued on Monday, Assemblyman Kevin Cahill called on Kingston residents to pass the bond ordinance.

“Libraries serve their region in more ways than providing books,” said Cahill. “With its central location in Midtown the Kingston Library is a cornerstone of the city, offering free access to information, educational programs throughout the year and a place to connect with each other and with the community.”