Guilderland Public Library officials are hoping residents support a plan to build a new $12.9 million expansion to the library in the summer of 2013.
On Tuesday, June 26, a referendum will be put before residents to approve a bond for the entire sum of the project. The plan has been in the works since 2003.
“We did a series of long range planning efforts and performed surveys throughout the community,” said Doug Morrissey, president of the library’s Board of Trustees. “The only way to give residents what they said they wanted is to expand.”
The library was built in 1992 and is 27,650 square feet. Since that time library attendance has more that doubled. Library Director Barbara Randall attributed that to community growth and the ability to provide better programming.
“We’re out of space, it’s that simple,” she said. “We’re out of space for materials, out of space for programming the community wants us to have and out of space for tutors to students. We’re going to be focusing on the same things we’re doing now, but more people can participate.”
According to library officials, the waiting list to use library space is long and at times residents are waiting months for a room to open. Attendance to programs has also increased 1,000 percent since the library opened.
“One of the things that makes us unique is that Guilderland doesn’t have a village square,” said Randall. “Besides parks, we (the library) are one of the only places where people of all incomes and backgrounds can gather together.”
The project would expand the building to 47,660 square feet. Morrissey said the plan would provide more space for a larger children’s room, provide a larger reading room for adults, allow for more meeting and study rooms and create a center for local history and genealogy. Energy efficient lighting and geothermal heating and cooling would also be installed.
Morrissey said much of the preliminary research to look into the project was paid for through grants. The plan is to bond the entire $12.9 million cost of the project and in the future, the library would hold fundraisers to help offset some of the costs to taxpayers.
Most homeowners within the Guilderland Library District currently pay about $1 to $1.70 per $1,000 of assessed property value. With the bond, taxpayers would likely see an increase of about 28 cents per $1,000.
Some have raised questions about bonding such a large amount, especially during a time when the community is trying to rebound from the recession.
“We tried to be as prudent as possible and the reason why we are doing a referendum is so the community can vote on this decision,” said Morrissey. “We are leaving it completely in the people’s hands.”
Randall said the expansion is necessary for Guilderland to maintain its standard of living.
“If you want your community to continue in a positive direction, one of the things people look at is schools, the library and recreation areas,” she said. (Those wanting to buy a home) look for things that are family areas. With nanotech and the university expanding the way they are … we’re in that area and need to move forward like everyone.”
If the referendum passes, the project is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2013. The expansion would then take about 24 months to complete. The library would remain open during construction.
Morrissey said the library is the right place for residents to invest.
“A library, first, will always be about the books but it’s about more than that. It’s about learning in general and enhancing the community with programs,” he said. “Also, the thought that the growth of Kindles will kill the book is a betrayal. Not everyone can afford one and there are still a lot of people who depend on books to get their educational materials. That’s not going away anytime soon.”
The polls will be open from noon to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 26. Voting will take place at each of the Guilderland Central School District’s five elementary schools.
