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September 2, 2008
Library contract needs mayor, council OK
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
By Jessica Beam
jbeym@sjnewsco.com
WASHINGTON TWP. Officials from the local library board have a contract in hand and are just waiting for the mayor's signature and the township council's approval before inking a deal for a new municipal library.
The library board of trustees has negotiated a deal with the owners of the Educational Information Resource Center on Delsea Drive to purchase the 20,000-square-foot building, said Mike Allen, board president.
Allen said he won't divulge the sale price until all parties have signed. He did say that the figure falls within the realm of the proposed amount about $4.3 million for the building and renovations which was discussed with the township council and mayor in May.
Purchasing the building which is double the size of the current Margaret E. Heggan Library on East Holly Avenue won't require any additional money from taxpayers, Allen said.
However, the township council must take out a bond for the building.
"It's still going to take and need their approval, but they've given us the nod," Allen said.
Because the library has been operating in a building that's half the size than what is recommended by the state library, based on the township's population, the library board has been building up its surplus over the years.
Allen said the board plans to use its $1.2 million in surplus as "seed money" for the bond.
During the discussion in May, municipal Auditor Nick Petroni told council that the township could secure a fixed rate on the bond at about $300,000 in annual payments for a 20-year-period.
The library board would be able to make those payments using the money that the township is required to allot it every year, based on a state formula.
The library is currently receiving about $1.8 million a year and only spends about $1.4 million of it.
Councilman Bob Timmons said the council may introduce an ordinance at its next meeting on Sept. 11 to take out a bond for the project.
"We have enough money to execute this whole plan without raising taxes one penny," Timmons said.
Councilwoman Anita LaPierre said she's waiting to see some "concrete figures" before council can make a decision.
"All council wants to do is look at the bottom line before we act upon it," LaPierre said. "Council is agreeable to purchase this library, as we all know we need to expand. But until we get some concrete figures, nobody's going to move on it."
Hopes for a larger municipal library have been circulating for more than 10 years, some library officials have said. But with each new slate of elected officials, and new members of the library board, the discussions have had to start from the beginning.
The new board began eyeing a skating rink on Hollydell Drive last August, and engineering designs were completed.
Then the EIRC building became an option.
The building, a few blocks from the existing Margaret E. Heggan Library, is well suited to become a library. Inside, there are many separate rooms, dividers and plenty of shelves. Pettit Associate's conceptual plans for the EIRC building call for a children's room with glass walls for parents to view them; sections for fiction, non-fiction and audio-visual media that are nearly three times larger than the current ones; and a conference room for local groups to meet.
One of the other selling points, Allen said, is that the building has solar panels that are only about five years old.
Some of the needed improvements would include additional sprinklers and possibly the replacement of the heating and ventilation system all of which are factored into the total renovation cost of $1.4 million.
Allen projects that if the township approves the plans, the library would be able to move into the building in the fall of 2009.
"EIRC is going to need six months approximately to complete their move," Allen said. "Right now, the timeline looks like if everything goes as we anticipate, they'll be vacating the building sometime in March."
The board would then have Pettit do the final designs, and the fit-out of the building could take another six months, Allen said.
"We're making progress," Allen said.
Posted by tumulty at September 2, 2008 11:56 AM
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