Library Board to Consider $5.7M Renovation Project

Barrington area residents could expect to have a totally updated library building in 2013. The board of trustees are scheduled to vote on a $5.7 million renovation project at the Feb. 13 meeting, said the library’s Executive Director Detlev Pansch.

The good news for taxpayers is that the redesigned library will not require a tax increase. The cost of renovation will be covered through current budget reserves.

The 1978 structure is due for some major improvements, Pansch said.

“If we did nothing else, it would cost $800,000 to $1 million just to bring the library up to date with mechanicals. At that point it made sense to look at other things we needed to bring the library up to date,” Pansch said.

“Choices made now regarding the infrastructure would be very costly to reverse in the future, so this is the ideal opportunity to look at improvements needed throughout the facility,” explains board President Donald F. Minner, in a news release.  “Our goal is to reimagine the entire space, making it easily adaptable to new usage and service trends, while providing our patrons with a flexible and welcoming environment. Ultimately, we will transform a 1970s-era building into a public library for the 21st century.”

A library board referendum asked the community for a new, $34 million library back in 2008, but the proposal was voted down.

The library commissioned a strategic facilities plan in 2011. Pansch said the board, along with an architectural and financial planner, considered several options, but some were knocked out of consideration due to expense.

Some highlights of the proposed renovation include:

• More open public space.
• More space for children’s programming.
• A drive-up for materials return and 24/7 access for picking up materials.
• A shorter distance from the entry to points of service.
• Meeting rooms with acoustic separation and “smart room” technology.
• Collaborative meeting rooms for group projects.
• Lower shelving for better accessibility.

Pansch said the redesign would also include a more welcoming space for high school students.

The renovation project would only affect the interior of the library; the outside will look the same.

Library trustees are expected to vote on the project in February. Approval of the plan would be followed by a 6-month design phase and a 9-month construction phase. Pansch said  the construction would minimize inconvenience for patrons and he doesn’t expect the library to be closed for any long periods of time.

“We have to keep up, so we can maintain the library’s position as an important civic asset,” he said.