By ROBERT LINNEHAN | The Haddonfield Sun
Several library options were discussed last week at a special borough meeting that highlighted the completed engineering report of Arcari and Iovino Architects.
No final decisions were made, but the option to expand the library by 7,500 square feet was endorsed by two groups at the meeting.
Borough Administrator Sharon McCullough said commissioners are expected to make a decision on which option to approve in the very near future.
Hovering over the entire proceedings is the knowledge that any money spent on a new library or an expansion of the building would have to be approved by referendum. Commissioners, McCullough revealed, are looking to bring the referendum to the November 2011 general elections, which means a concrete plan and an exact amount of funding would be needed by then.
Anthony Iovino of Arcari and Iovino Architects presented his firm’s findings to a crowd of about 50 people. The borough had commissioned the firm to explore the cost estimates for several options for the library. The firm explored the cost figures for making the current library Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, with several additional improvements, a 7,500- and 15,000-square-foot expansion, and finally a new library at another site in the borough.
Simply bringing the site up to ADA compliance would likely cost about $1.1 million, Iovino said, for construction and material costs. ADA compliance with some added site improvements would cost more than $1.8 million.
The 7,500-square-foot expansion would likely cost about $5.3 million and a 15,000-square-foot expansion would cost more than $7.8 million, according to Iovino.
Both expansions would extend the library out forward, into the open space that is presently in front of the structure. The historic entrance and first room would be preserved, he said, but would actually be indoors and would no longer function as the main entrance.
Iovino also discussed the possibility of a new library being built at the Allen parking lot. The Allen parking lot sits behind Lantern Lane and adjacent to the PATCO parking lot.
A brand-new, two-story library would cost the borough about $6.9 million. The structure would be placed on stilts so no parking spots would be sacrificed at the lot. A three-story structure would cost about $6.5 million, he said, but would take up several parking spots.
McCullough said that for every $1 million in 15-year bonds, the average assessed home in the borough would pay an additional $14 to $18 a year in taxes.
After reviewing Iovino’s findings, President of the Library Board of Trustees Gene Kain said it was their position to endorse a 7,500-square-foot expansion of the library. A special architectural study committee also endorsed the expansion.
The library is in disrepair, he said, and it’s time to present a concrete plan to the public.
“We felt we have to have a commitment to an option,” Kain said. “We’re ready to move forward because we can’t stay where we are right now.”
As for a new library, Kain said there are some locations in the borough that could support a new structure, but the majority of residents in town to whom he has spoken with want to make the current library site work.
However, resident David Hunter urged commissioners and borough representatives to further look into the Allen Avenue site.
It’s a beneficial site to support a new library, he said, and would only cost about $1.2 million more than making the existing building ADA compliant and adding 7,500 square-feet.
“There’s no reason to rule out this potential site as a real solution,” Hunter said. “This is something that people can get excited about.”
An extensive report of the possible sites for a new library was also presented to the public at the meeting. Taking into consideration the factors of cost, zoning capabilities, availability of property, and other dynamics the six member committee concluded that the two best options to consider are the existing public library property and the Allen Avenue parking lot.
The past option of acquiring 117–121 Kings Highway East — the Houshiarnejad Collection: Imported Fine Oriental Rugs and Country Way Bridals stores — and using the building as a new library facility is no longer a viable option for the borough, according to the report.
Nancy O’Dowd, a fund-raising expert hired by the library system, also presented her ideas for a massive public campaign to raise as much private funding as possible to lessen the burden on borough taxpayers when an option is decided upon.
No final consensus was reached at the meeting. All reports introduced at the public meeting can be viewed at the borough’s Web site at Haddonfieldnj.org.
