Politics & Government

Libraries Hope to Sell Public on Idea of Merger

The Fanwood and Scotch Plains libraries will present their feasibility study to the public on Thursday.

Fanwood and Scotch Plains librarians Dan Weiss and Meg Kolaya have a long list of reasons why they want to merge their services into one new building. The potential for increased services, more meeting space, improved technologies and long-term savings are just a few.

On Thursday evening, Weiss, Kolaya, and the Boards of Trustees of both libraries will work to educate the public on what's possible if they approve such a plan.

After nearly three years, the libraries' Board of Trustees have completed the findings of their feasibility study, which fully analyzed the best approach for combining the two libraries into one.

Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Funding for this study was received through a SHARE grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and allowed the two Boards to hire professional consultants to study existing library use and space as well as determining through focus group meetings the desired service needs for the future.

What they've determined would work best for the community is a 37,368 square foot multi-level building that extends off the front of the current Scotch Plains Public Library, along with upgrades to the current facilities. Together, the structures would create one streamlined building that is spacious and up to speed to meet the needs of residents for decades to come.

Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We've worked our best to make use of what we have," Kolaya said, noting that 72 percent of residents in the towns hold active library cards and that last year, the two facilities circulated well over 200,000 items.

"But now that everybody's using us, we're tripping all over each other," Weiss said.

The proposed new multi-level building would be a three-story structure featuring light-filled open spaces, multiple study nooks, computer labs and adult and teen book sections. The lobby would be an extension of the current one, connecting the new building to the current one. The existing portions of the Scotch Plains Library would be transformed so that the current children's department would serve as a community meeting space and so the adult section would serve as an expanded children's department.

A few parking spaces would be lost, but Kolaya said they're exploring adding more spaces to the side of the building.

The feasibility study explored several other options, including other additions to the current Scotch Plains Library and updates to it and the Fanwood building, but it was ultimately determined that the project described above would best serve the communities in the long-run.

If approved, the plan would free up the space currently used by the Fanwood Memorial Library for other borough use.

"We know there's a lot of concrete details that are real controversial and thorny, but we'd like to not underplay just how inspiring this could be for both towns," Weiss said.

The librarians told Patch that they've reached out to over 2,000 people, including downtown business owners, about attending Thursday night's forum, which will be lead by Leslie Burger of Library Development Solutions, the consulting firm for the project.

One topic certain to come up is cost.

Currently, the feasibility study has projected that the plan would cost an estimated $20,377,041, with additional fees, escalation in costs and other factors likely bringing it up to $26,490,153 by completion.

The libraries are looking at a variety of means for funding: private donations, public/private partnerships, the state's Library Construction Bonds, federal stimulus money, additional grants from the state Department of Community Affairs, municipal bonds, Union County Improvement Authority bonds, and the Library Services and Technology Act.

They can't technically start applying for funding until the two communities approve the plan, but Weiss and Kolaya said they are actively working to build relationships with potential funders and explore other options.

Weiss and Kolaya acknowledge that the estimated $26 million is no small price tag, but they insist that the immediate and long-term benefits to such a plan make it worth it.

Renovating their current structures would cost at least $10 million, they said, and would likely only cover upgrades that would cover them for the next few years.

"It is a big figure," Weiss acknowledged. "But there's the continued frustration of not providing the services people need. If things stay the way they are, we can keep being successful for the next five or 10 years, but I don't know about 15 to 30."

Weiss and Kolaya point to limited technologies, accessibility problems and a lack of proper community meeting space as just a few of the issues they face in their current structures.

The proposed plan is actually one of the least expensive out of the models studied and would allow for limited interruption to current services while under construction, according to the study. It also provides the opportunity to achieve sustainable design goals by saving and upgrading the existing library structure, while creating a new high performance building. A "green" roof and multiple skylights are included in the plans for the new multi-use building.

In order for the plan to move forward, it will require both Fanwood and Scotch Plains councils passing a resolution to put the referendum on the November ballot. The majority of residents in both towns will then have to approve the dissolution of the two individual libraries to create one new legal entity.

According to Kolaya, only four communities in Union County haven't made major upgrades or investments to their libraries in the past 10 years — Roselle, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains and Fanwood.

Between now and November, the library boards will be "beating the bush" to gain support and further educate the public about the plans.

"Every time we walked into (other recently updated libraries in the area), we'd drink it in and say 'the people of Scotch Plains and Fanwood really deserve something like this,'" Kolaya said.

The full contents of the feasibility study, along with the building plan and site design, are available on the Joint Library project's Web site. To see the agenda for Thursday's public forum, go here.

The public forum will be held at 7:15 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, in the Scotch Plains Public Library community room.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here