Ariel Zangla reports in the Daily Freeman libraries in Athens and Haines Falls are two of eight libraries in the state's 46th Senate District to benefit from nearly $400,000 in construction and renovation grants, state Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk announced Tues., June 25. In the village of Athens, a $5,700 grant to repair and repoint the exterior of the D.R. Evarts Library was awarded to the library district, and a $130,000 grant was awarded to the Haines Falls Free Library. That award will cover at least 75 percent of a new, energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system for a new library, as well as hardware for handicapped accessible restrooms. The grants are supported by a $14 million capital fund appropriation in the state budget for public libraries. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.