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September 13, 2008
Library's worth the wait
Friday, September 12, 2008
Last updated: Saturday September 13, 2008, EDT 1:52 PM ASHLEY KINDERGAN STAFF WRITER
Record
ORADELL – Residents will meet their new and improved library Sunday after nearly six years and $3.75 million in borrowed and donated money. Before the renovations, the library’s unfinished basement was used only for occasional community group meetings.
The newly carpeted and furnished version will house the CD and DVD collection, a meeting room, more computers and an archive room dedicated to historical documents. Other improvements include:
* A new glass elevator fitted onto the exterior will give handicapped users better access to the building’s three floors.
* The interior was completely gutted and outfitted with a more efficient heating and air-conditioning system, as well as new furniture and shelving.
* Young adults will have a separate room, and a new children’s area is custom-built for arts and crafts with a linoleum floor and a sink.
“There’s a lot of anticipation, and we’re just very excited and proud about it,” said Executive Director Beth Ziegler. “It’ll be wonderful for the staff and the town.”
Oradell is one of the last remaining projects from a library construction boom over the last decade, in which at least 23 of the county’s municipal libraries underwent major renovations and expansions, said Robert White, executive director of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System.
It began when the state Educational Facilities Authority announced in 1999 that it would issue bonds worth $45 million for matching grants toward library renovation and expansion projects. Many communities saw the money as an opportunity to expand and repair structural problems in aging facilities. Oradell missed the deadline for that round of funding, but was placed on a waiting list for the next round of grants, which never materialized, said Library Board President Diane DiGiovanni.
Oradell’s council green-lighted a top-to-bottom renovation project in late 2002, said Sonja Hanlon, who served as a councilwoman and was on the library board at the time. The length of the to-do list at the library made a small upgrade impractical, Hanlan said.
“There was no question that in order to make it worth the effort, it had to be done properly,” Hanlan said. “There was enough support on the council… I felt that if it was ever going to happen, it was then.”
Construction was supposed to take about a year and a half, but several unforeseen problems — such as water leaking into the basement — delayed the completion.
Oradell isn’t the only community to run into time delays, cost overruns or unexpected complications during library construction. Oakland opened a new wing of its library last year, but a renovation project on the original portion of the building has stalled as the borough works through litigation with its contractor.
“Once you get into litigation, it becomes a protracted project,” said Mayor John Szabo. Hillsdale officials also said that renovating their 99-year-old library presented some unforeseen construction challenges. “Even after we had estimates of what the costs would be, we discovered very serious problems,” said former Mayor Dennis Deutsch. “Over half of the building - the original house part of the building — there was essentially no foundation.”
One problem that Oradell’s library project never encountered was a lack of community support. In fact, a fundraising team made up of community members raised more than $540,000 to pay for new furniture inside. “I think it’s definitely a reflection on the community and the importance of the library to the community that we were able to get so many contributions,” Lessersohn said.
E-mail: Kindergan@northjersey.com
Posted by tumulty at September 13, 2008 3:52 PM
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