Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the former Claverack Free Library, located at the intersection of state Route 9H and 23B in the hamlet, will temporarily serve as the town hall and court building while the building at 836 state Route 217 in Philmont is demolished and rebuilt. Minor renovations are currently underway at the former library, including a new wing addition with an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant bathroom, as well as a new entrance that will bring the building up to code. The state must approve the ADA renovations before the court can move in, Town Clerk Mary Hoose said. The town is hoping to move in by the end of June or in July. The plan calls for the court to be moved into the 1,400-square-foot former library building and town meetings will be held in the new library as part of the arrangement, Library Board of Trustees President Jenny Post said. The town intends to pay the library rent for use of the building, which will help cover the needed renovations, Post said. She called the partnership a “win-win.” Hoose expects it will be a year or year and a half before the new building is ready. The new town hall building will also house town offices, which are currently located in Mellenville. “This joint project provides the town a space to hold court and conduct meetings while we take the necessary steps to plan and build a new town office complex that will house the court as well as all of our offices, in addition to providing much-needed community space for the public,” Town Supervisor Kippy Weigelt said in a statement. “We are grateful to the Library for their willingness to rent this building to us while we embark on this exciting project.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.