Reproduced with permission of The Scarsdale Inquirer.
© 2004 S.I. Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Published in The Scarsdale Inquirer on Friday, November 12, 2004
$19M expansion proposed for Greenburgh LibraryBy DAVID GOTTLIEB
The Greenburgh Library Board of Trustees has proposed a renovation and expansion of its building on Tarrytown Road that would more than double current size and be fully funded by a $19 million bond. Since March, the cost had been projected at $15 million to $16 million for a somewhat smaller facility to serve a community that grew from 18,500 people when built in 1968 to 48,000 people today.
The expanded program was presented Thursday, Nov. 4, to about 40 people at a Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations forum at Theodore Young Community Center, with CGCA vice president Ella Preiser as host. Ginger Grant, vice president of the library board, explained that "we recently took over [the process] from the town and ask you to have patience because we may not have all the answers tonight. What we want now is feedback."
With a PowerPoint presentation, architect Todd Harvey and library development consultant Michael Conte described a 46,600-square-foot facility that would take up a substantial portion of the adjacent old town hall site for access and parking about 150 cars. (The inadequacy of the current 39 parking spaces has consistently been cited by the public as a major drawback of the current site.)
This intrusion into an area that the town had been negotiating to sell to Sunrise Development Inc. for an 82-unit assisted living facility indicated that the library board is acting on the premise that the Sunrise deal is dead. However, Harvey did say that "if we lose the town hall site, we will go back to our first concept" of a smaller building on less land.
In a statement the next day, Town Supervisor Paul Feiner said, "If the library feels that they need the entire site, they could present that to the community," he wrote. "I support expanding the library and having the best library possible. I am
pleased that the library board has agreed to recommend that the matter be placed before the voters in a referendum. The voters will have to decide how much they can afford. I indicated to the members of the library board that I would support placing on the ballot any library expansion initiative they recommend so that all the people in Greenburgh, not just the five members of the town board, can partner in the decision-making process."Feiner did not attend the CGCA forum.
In the past, he consistently said that if the matter were to be brought before the town board, he would not support a project costing more than about $10.5 million. He vigorously sought to move the Sunrise proposal forward, contending that too many such projects face "delay, delay, delay." He contended that negotiations were not a commitment. This was unacceptable to a number of community activists. Even before the town moved its headquarters in October 2003 to its current location on Hillside Avenue, the fate of the old site became a source of contention. A hard core of opponents
decried a "cart before the horse" mentality -leaving the scope and design of an expanded library unsettled while the town actively sought bids to sell the old town hall, to Sunrise and another buyer. They demanded that negotiations should be dropped until library needs were fully addressed and the project was approved by the town board.Hartsdale resident Bill Greenawalt hammered at this point when Sunrise was pursuing the purchase of the old town hall last winter and spring and alluded to it last Thursday. Pointing out that since more land is now available for expansion, "maybe we should add a few thousand more feet to avoid another traumatic experience." Harvey replied that, while the proposed expansion would meet needs for the next 10 years, it "would be nice to have 4,000-5,000 [sq. feet] unfinished space. But we don't want to do that because the plan would get out of balance." Demita Gerber, library director, added, "45,000 [sq. feet] will work very nicely with current expectations."
A major factor in the project is coping with what all parties agree is a difficult property, with steep slopes, rocks and vital retaining walls, especially in the area fronting the current entrance. By absorbing some of the town hall area, there would probably be no need to cut into the upper slopes and a third level of parking down toward Tarrytown Road could be eliminated.
The entrance would no longer be at the upper level, but on the second level that is not now used for public access. That level would open on a lobby and hold an enlarged community room, administrative offices, including those now on the upper level, staff facilities and the like. An elevator and stairs would provide access to the upper main level, which would be given entirely to patron services: checkout, reference and information desk, the adult and
children collections, and computers. A mezzanine, which would be accessible by stairs or elevator, would hold about half the adult collection.Hartsdale resident Hal Samis objected to the mezzanine because it would require a staff post, but Conte said this would not be necessary because of the open design providing easy visibility from the main floor. Conte also reminded his audience that, unlike schools, where a new classroom means a new teacher, a library expansion does not necessarily mean more hiring.
Harvey showed a rendering of the exterior as seen from Tarrytown Road, with an undulating roofline and a glass facade. He described it as "more airy" inside and that its, exterior would have a positive impact on heavily traveled Tarrytown Road.
No haggling on price
There was virtually no comment on the $3 million increase from the estimate presented earlier this year. Ed Krauss of Edgemont did point to the prospect that such projects often go over budget, citing the county courthouse as an example. Conte replied that the courthouse is funded directly by government funds, while the assumption is that the library will be 100 percent bonded, a borrowing "compelling us to do the plan because there is no place else to go." If threatened by an overrun, he said, changes would have to be made in the plan.
Residents Thelma Washington, Danny Gold and Francis Sheehan were receptive to the presentation. "I was skeptical when I came in here," Gold said, "but now I'm excited about it." Sheehan commented that "I was very discouraged earlier, but now I'm thrilled that we seem to be getting an the same page. Stick to your guns, let's see if we can get together."
But Washington added a caveat after comments from Conte, Grant and Harvey that they felt obliged to continue exploring other possible sites. "I, too, am excited, it's worth every dime," she said, "We know this property is right. Don't waste time running all over town to look for other properties-."
The library board will offer a second public forum with more details at the library on Knollwood and Tarrytown Roads, Tuesday, Nov. 23, at 7:45 p.m.