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September 25, 2009

Library purchase gains final OK from Washington Township council

Gloucester County Times
Thursday, September 24, 2009
By Jessica Beym
jbeym@sjnewsco.com
WASHINGTON TWP. The library board was given the final green light from the township council on Thursday to go sign a lease-purchase contract for the education building on Delsea Drive that will soon be their new library.

The township council voted unanimously in favor on the deal to buy the Education and Information Resource Center for a price tag of $2.1 million Ð at least $700,000 less than what they were close to buying it for about nine months ago. Now, not only is the price tag lower, but the township doesn't have to borrow money to get it done.

Councilman Michelle Martin joked that a drumroll was needed before they voted on the ordinance.

"It's been a long time coming," Martin said. "There's been a lot of hard work to get to this point and to get this accomplished."

The township has long been considering a new library, and all options were on the table during this latest go Ð constructing a new one from scratch, buying a skating rink on Delsea Drive, buying a former county building, or even retrofitting an existing building.

Mayor Matt Lyons said after everything was considered, and reconsidered, the EIRC building has proven to be the best option. It's 20,000 square feet Ð double the size of the current library on East Holly Drive. The space inside is already suited to be similar to a library, so not much work will need to be done. And the building also comes with solar panels that the township can use to reduce the electricity bills and earn solar rebates.

Buying the building and retrofitting it won't cost the taxpayers any additional money than what they are already required to pay to the library under the state's mandated funding formula. Using about $1.7 million in surplus, the library board will be able to make yearly lease payments on the EIRC building until it's paid off, and will still have money to retrofit the building and continue to run operations, said Mike Allen, chairman of the library board. They also hope to eventually build an addition.

"Their fiscal management over the last 10 years has made them able to do this," Lyons said, explaining that the library has not spent all of its budget on operations and has been setting money aside for a new building for many years.

The township hopes to be able to gain access to the building when the EIRC moves out, which won't be until the first quarter of 2010, Allen said.

"They great thing is we'll be able to improve the services for Washington Township with really no increase in the taxes," Allen said.

Posted by tumulty at September 25, 2009 12:33 PM

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