Q: Isn’t this building new? It looks modern.
A: It was constructed almost 20 years ago and needs repairs, updates, and upgrades; this is typical for heavy use buildings this age
In addition, the way our community uses the library has changed and grown over the years and the renovations include changes that address community needs.
Q: The building isn’t even 20 years old and it looks nice. Are these repairs just a way for the Library to make cosmetic changes?
A: We’ve gotten lovely renderings from our architects and they’ve led some people to wonder if our interior modifications are actually critical, and not just a way to give the Library a glow-up. And the parking lot—are improvements really needed?
The building looks great and we take care of it, but yes: these modifications are necessary.
Renovations to the building’s parking lot and interior, which address safety, energy efficiency, and community concerns, would be done while there is already other construction taking place, making them more cost-effective for taxpayers in the long term. We wouldn’t call this work a “nice to have” as much as we would a “smart to do now”.
This is work that will need to be done over the coming years, and in the case of the parking lot and work on the inside of the building, work that the community has been asking us to do, for years. Doing it now as part of this project will cost substantially less than it would as standalone work in the future.
For example: if you already have contractors tearing down walls to relocate a stairway that you must do to for safety reasons, reconfiguring adjacent space into two additional meeting rooms costs less than doing that project on its own a few years from now, because the people, equipment and permits are already in place for the required work.
The energy efficiency improvements are tightly related to the HVAC system that will be installed, as they will allow us to reduce our annual operating costs while addressing long-term feedback on comfort.
The lower level of the building has traditionally not been staffed, which creates a service and security issue for the entire floor. Moving Teen Services would allow for regular staffing on the lower level, expand the amount of square footage available for public use, and eliminate the chimney effect currently prevalent in the building.
Relocating service desks will allow staff to have greater visibility of the floors which, again, is a security concern.
Q: Is the project addressing environmental/sustainability needs?
A: Many aspects of our plan address sustainability/environmental stewardship (energy efficient lighting, solar panels, UV film on windows, reusing furnishings and repurposing spaces, energy efficient HVAC elements, etc.)
Q: Will the OPL continue to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified?
A: LEED Certification must be re-assessed and renewed every 5 years. The team is committed to following modern energy efficient standards as part of this project.