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March 25, 2010

Millburn's proposal for shared library on Saks site draws interest....from Summit

Independent Press
By Patricia C. Kelley
March 24, 2010, 2:02PM
MILLBURN — While they won’t be attending the meeting between Millburn and Springfield to discuss shared library services housed on the site of the former Saks Fifth Avenue building on Millburn Avenue in Springfield, Summit officials are interested in the idea and the possibility of joining in.

Millburn officials were scheduled to meet with Springfield government and library representatives on Thursday, March 18 to discuss the possibility of combining libraries from the two towns and using the Saks site to provide a larger library facility.
Township Committee member Jim Suell, who is representing the township at the exploratory session, said that Summit officials have asked for information about the plan and they may be interested in joining Millburn and Springfield if the project comes to fruition.

Suell, along with Millburn’s President of the Library Board of Trustees Abby Gorin and Library Director Bill Swinson, were set to meet with Springfield officials on Thursday to discuss the plan.

If the towns agree to combine their libraries on the Saks site, Springfield would have to condemn the property which is slated to become a super Stop & Shop supermarket.

After 12 years of court battles, the Dutch conglomerate Royal Ahold won the right to build the supermarket on the site but they have been mum about building plans. Royal Ahold has approvals from Springfield and Essex County to build on the property but they have yet to apply to Millburn. Although the property is located in Springfield, Millburn officials would have to grant approval for the usage because the main driveway would connect with Millburn Avenue and the new use would generate more than 10% of the previous occupant’s business.

Summit Library Director Glenn Devitt said, “They approached us to ask if we would be interested in their idea. We said we would study it if we have a grant from the state.”

Devitt said, however, a referendum would have to come before the voters. He noted that Summit has an open borrowing agreement with Millburn/Short Hills and that some Short Hills residents actually live closer to the Summit library than to Millburn’s library. The central location of Summit’s library on Maple Street makes it an accessible location for the majority of city residents, he said.

The Summit library set a new record for the number of items circulated. But Devitt said in these days of shared services the idea of a regional library was an idea that should be explored.

Posted by tumulty at March 25, 2010 6:23 PM

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