By Liz McBreen
"It will be a great resource for the people of our community," said the Library Director Alice Wolfteich, whose excitement over the project's completion increases with each passing day. As the renovations on the building come to a close, the staff looks forward to welcoming residents to the new state-of-the-art facility and increased space that it will provide.
The plan for an expanded library was first discussed back in 1994 after surveys and feedback from the community made it clear to the library's trustees that the old library was no longer going to meet the needs of the community. Then came the bond referendum.
"The library runs the same way as the school board in Franklin Square," explained Wolfteich. "In order to go ahead with the expansion, a referendum calling for a bond, the amount of which was decided upon by the five trustees, had to be voted on by the residents."
The first proposal, a 1996 issue calling for more than $4 million, failed by a fair margin. When another bond was proposed for about half the amount in 1998, voters approved.
The $2,240,000 bond used for the construction will be repaid through an approximately $20 per-year increase to FS homeowners' library tax.
The construction, which was originally slated to last about 15 months, has now run over the proposed finish date by nearly a half a year.
Despite the delays, the library is now near completion and several rooms, improvements and updates are part of the new facility.
The expansion was made possible by constructing a section that wraps around the existing building. The result: nearly doubling the square footage of the library.
The expanded children's room will have eight to ten internet-ready computers and more book stacks than before. Just off the children's room on the ground floor is a story-hour room where craft programs will take place.
The renovated building also includes a 70-person meeting room that can be divided in two when necessary. This room replaces the small meeting room that was previously on the upper floor. The new room has an entrance from the parking lot and includes outlets in the floor, where laptops can be plugged in.
Nearby is a space that is currently being used as a staging area for the construction work. In the future, it will be an audio/visual room that will be supplied with the most up-to-date videos, CDs and DVDs.
The front of the building has been pushed out and paneled with windows, allowing room for several reading tables in an open space with plenty of natural light during the day.
Another addition that residents will soon enjoy is a small study room that can be used as either a private reading room, or for group tutoring. This room also has outlets and phone jacks in the floor where laptop computers can be plugged in.
Several book stacks have been added upstairs to hold an increased number of non-fiction and reference books.
The area that used to be the second floor, now forms a large mezzanine area between the lower and upper levels. This area will be the new home of the reference desk, twelve additional computers, tables and chairs. The entire building is handicapped accessible, with elevators stopping off at every level.
The land needed for these additions, including a twelve space parking lot, were provided by the library's purchase of two houses adjacent to the building in 1996. They were demolished when the construction began.
"It has sometimes been difficult working with the construction going on, and it's been difficult at times for the patrons as well, but it will be worth it," said Wolfteich.
For about six weeks last spring, the library was completely closed to the public. There were also other shorter closings for a few days at a time, but the patrons of the library were able to go to other area libraries and on the whole were very patient with the renovations, according to Wolfteich.
Construction is expected to wrap up early this spring. Programs for adults, young adults and children, as well as Thursday afternoon movies will return to the library in April.
