The Phoenicia Library has blueprints for renovation and expansion of its burned-out building on Main Street and plans to break ground in April 2012, reported library board president Kurt Boyer. The new library will be handicapped-accessible and will include increased space for community activities.
“The board has come up with a two-phase plan to rebuild,” Boyer said. “Not that we want to do it in two stages, but at this time we can only afford to do Stage One. If we receive enough for Stage Two in the next few months or while rebuilding, it would make more sense to do Stage Two at the same time, and it would be less costly.”
The insurance claim amount has not yet been finalized but is estimated at $230,000. The board has obtained a $119,000 New York State Library Construction Grant, and last spring, after the fire, the community raised $25,000 for the Phoenix Fund, earmarked for rebuilding. The total of $374,000 is expected to be more than enough to finance Stage One, estimated at $341,000 and scheduled for completion by the end of October 2012.
Designed by North Engineers and Design Associates of Kingston, the Stage One plan includes construction of a covered ramp along the west side of the building and an entryway with airlock to save heat in winter. The present entrance will be closed and the entry staircase covered over to increase floor space. A handicapped-accessible bathroom will be added on the ground floor. The circulation desk will be placed in the middle of the ground floor, facing the new side entrance to greet visitors, who may turn left or right or head up the stairs, which will be situated near the new entrance. The children’s room will be on the second floor, along with the fishing collection.
A space will allotted for an elevator, but the actual purchase of the elevator will have to wait for Stage Two, which also includes a two-story-high expansion out the back of the building, designated for community meeting rooms, and upstairs, a kitchenette and storage space. An open porch off the back can be used for summer programming.
Functions for the various sections of the library will be flexible, as the board expects to purchase modular bookshelves that can be moved around as needed. They envision a seating area in the front of the ground floor, where patrons can sit in comfortable chairs to read or work on laptops, with a view of the street. Computer stations will be scattered through the ground floor, rather than lined up in a row, and there will be a space reserved for teens and ‘tweens.
“We’re also bringing the building up to modern and progressive energy standards, replacing all the windows and the insulation,” Boyer said. “We’ll be putting windows up high on the sides of the building so we can receive light above some of the bookcases.”
With the emphasis on community space, remarked Boyer, “People are saying, ‘Do you have enough room for the 13,000 books we had in the library? But a lot of those books hadn’t been read in years. We have the opportunity now to have an updated collection.” Library director Tracy Priest is in charge of creating and maintaining the new collection, which Boyer said will be more relevant to people’s current needs and interests.
$337,000 for Stage Two
Now the board has to raise an additional $337,000 to complete Stage Two construction, estimated at $370,000. Further grant monies are being sought. “Besides considering some large endowments,” said Boyer, “we want to set up a system where people can sponsor some sort of plaque to go on the library walls. We’re working on something creative, maybe connected to local history. We will be brainstorming and possibly putting on our website a registry of things we need that people can donate specifically for.”
They also plan to hold more fundraising events, such as the Turkey Trot scheduled for the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. (See highlighted box for details.)
Fundraising looks challenging, admitted Boyer. “The community has come through for us with the $25,000, and then there was the flood. But we know because of the budget vote passing, the community supports us strongly.” In the November election, the town voted to increase the library’s annual operating budget by $11,000, from $83,000 to $94,000. “That money goes directly to the operating budget — it’s not for the reconstruction,” Boyer emphasized. “We thank the community for coming out and voting for the library by a margin of two to one.”
Boyer said there have been questions about why the board decided to rebuild at 48 Main Street instead of renovating the temporary quarters across from the post office. “Everyone feels that 48 Main was a vital center of the Main Street community,” Boyer explained. “Patrons and visitors were always popping in on daily visits. Patrons support the local businesses. Since the fire and the move over here, we have a lot less drop-ins, and we’re less visible.”
Another concern heard recently is why they would want to rebuild in a floodplain after three storms flooded Main Street in less than a year. “We never had any damage done by flooding at the library,” Boyer pointed out. “The water has never reached the first floor, which is elevated approximately two feet above the sidewalk. We’ve spoken to Cornell Cooperative Extension, and they said there’s no reason we can’t build there, that floods have been an inconvenience but have not done structural damage to buildings on Main Street.”
Referring to the outcry after a post-hurricane New York Times article suggested that Phoenicia should be relocated, he added, “We want to let people know Phoenicia is here to stay, downtown business is here to stay. Rebuilding a vibrant new library there will lead the way to promoting revitalization and will improve property values.”++
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