On May 1 the Schenectady County Legislature and Library Board of Trustees announced the county library main branch expansion project. This should have been a happy day for library patrons, but the shock of the impending destruction of the McChesney Room and the 18-month closure of the library main branch shook the community. In the ensuing two weeks, over 1,200 library patrons responded to an opinion poll that has changed the direction of these plans. These citizens’ actions have kept the main branch open and saved a key element of the architecturally significant library structure from being destroyed. Members of the Friends wish to thank all the responders to the opinion poll and volunteers in Schenectady County who worked diligently to gather this important information. Their efforts encouraged county legislators to reconsider the design of the expansion and to work cooperatively with library trustees and Friends of the Library. Members of the Friends speaking at the May 13 county Legislature meeting suggested a return to a previous onestory design that could add significant space to the library without destruction and invasion of the main branch. We are hopeful that concept can be designed and constructed in the spirit of cooperation with the consensus of all stakeholders. “Keep your eye on the prize” — stay informed and speak out for this important enhancement to a library that many in county government describe as “the best service we provide to voters.” FRED THOMPSON ELEANOR ROWLAND Niskayuna The writers are, respectively, member of the Friends of the Schenectady County Library and coordinator of Friends’ volunteers.
Library should remain open during renovation First published: Thursday, May 22, 2008
Closing the main library in Schenectady for at least a year during its expansion project is simply unacceptable. The downtown library provides a vital community service. Does a public airport or train station close for even one day during a renovation project? No. Then neither should the library.
Something seems fishy about this sudden decision, seemingly out of the blue, by the library board of trustees to close the library during construction. Were they being pressured by the Schenectady County Legislature and, if so, why? Where was the public input on this plan to close the library for more than a year? Is this a done deal? LINDA SPAULDING
Schenectady library limits work to $1M Main building to remain open during renovation; expansion rejected
By DAVID FILKINS, Staff writer First published: Saturday, May 24, 2008
SCHENECTADY -- A plan to expand the main branch of the Schenectady County Library has been shelved in favor of renovating its heating, cooling and electrical systems, officials said.
Library trustees voted in favor of the change Thursday when, trustees said, it became clear the board and the County Legislature could not agree on how to expand. Public outcry met a plan offered by the legislature that would have required the library to close for at least a year during construction. "We basically walked away from the elaborate plan for expansion," board of trustees President Esther Swanker said. "When you have 1,800 people signing a petition, you have to listen." Renovations to the 40-year-old building will cost the county about $1 million and should be completed this summer with minimal closures at the main branch. Swanker said the heating, cooling and electrical systems, which have a working life of 25 to 30 years, had to be replaced. "We would have been in danger of closing during the winter otherwise," she said. "Going forward with the old systems would have done no good." The expansion project would have added more than 9,000 square feet to the main branch in addition to the construction of a new entrance and the systems replacement. Aside from requiring the branch to close for at least a year, the plan also met resistance because it called for the demolition of the beloved McChesney Room. The building, opened about 40 years ago, is at Clinton and Liberty streets, sandwiched between City Hall and police headquarters. David Filkins can be reached at 454-5456 or by e-mail at dfilkins@timesunion.com.
Trustee favors old Schenectady library plans Committee will work through summer before presenting ideas to legislators
By PAUL NELSON, Staff writer First published: Monday, May 26, 2008
SCHENECTADY -- The chairman of a building committee charged with tweaking plans to rehabilitate the main branch of the county library system says he favors reverting to original plans from years ago. Library trustee Steve Fitz, who chairs that panel, said he wants to "go back to our (board of trustees') first selection and try to stay as close to that as possible."
That project called for preserving the McChesney Room, which was to be demolished under an $8 million renovation project that also would have shut the central branch on Clinton Street for a year or more. Fitz also favors building a small auditorium to host events such as children's plays, and moving the children's room from the first to the second floor. He also spoke out against the construction of a cafe and new entrance off Clinton Street to the building, which attracts 1,400 people daily. The expanded nine-member committee -- which will now include a library employee, a member of the Friends of the Schenectady County Public Library and a county lawmaker -- will hold its first meeting next month and work throughout the summer before making its recommendations to county legislators by September, Fitz said. Last week, Fitz and the other trustees took another significant step when they approved plans first to retool the heating, cooling and electrical systems instead of doing the renovations all at once and shutting down the downtown library. That prospect angered county lawmakers and library patrons. Bernard Allanson, president of Friends of the Schenectady County Public Library, said the $2 million raised to defray costs of the overhaul work will not be used to cover the costs of replacing the heating and cooling systems. The county will pick up the $1 million tab since it owns the structure. "We are expecting that money will sit there for the expansion," Allanson said. The revised trustee-approved plan is to now replace the old boilers and other machinery associated with the heating system before it starts to get chilly and then install a new cooling system during the winter months. Democratic Legislator Gary Hughes said that work may cause some limited closures, if it becomes necessary to shut off the electrical system or remove the boilers from the basement of the library. Hughes pegged the design costs to date at about $500,000. Nelson can be reached at 454-5347 or by e-mail at pnelson@timesunion.com.
SCHENECTADY COUNTY County woes worry library staff Union members monitor meetings BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
The county’s fiscal problems have the 130 employees of the Schenectady County Public Library System worried about their jobs and the system’s future. Members of the system’s staff, who belong to the Civil Service Employees Association, are now attending meetings of both the county Legislature and the library Board of Trustees. Spokesman Ken Wagner said a representative is attending each meeting to stay informed. “We are worried about the county’s fiscal concerns and their impact on the library,” he said. County Legislator Gary Hughes, D-Schenectady, chairman of the county Legislature’s Library Committee, said library staff “have every right to be close to the process, just as all of our county employees have a right to all county processes.” He added, “There is no reason for them to be more concerned about the county budget [than] any other county employee should be.” County officials are anticipating a budget deficit of at least $8 million and maybe as high as $16 million as they plan for 2009. County Manager Kathleen Rooney has directed all departments to submit proposed budgets with 3 percent reductions. The county also is not filling positions and taking other actions to close the gap. The library system is wholly dependent on the county for funding, although it does receive some fiscal support from trustees and the Friends of the Library. The library’s budget this year is approximately $5.6 million. The county considers the library an essential but nonmandated service to residents. This means the county is not required to support fully the operations of the 11-branch library system. Education law says municipalities with 10,000 or more people must support a library, although the meaning of support is vague, said Carol Clingan, executive director of the Mohawk Valley Library System. Schenectady’s is the largest in the system and serves as a central library for libraries in Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie and Schenectady counties, she said. “Schenectady County’s library system is unique. It is the only one in the state that has pure funding from a county. Most others get funding from other ways. Some are a combination of county funding and other sources, some are nonprofits and some have their own taxing jurisdictions,” Clingan said. JOBS UNFILLED Wagner said the county has already put a fiscal squeeze on the library system. “It is ongoing, because we are not a mandated service. There is a real concern about the future of the library,” he said. Wagner said the county is leaving positions vacant and the library system’s proposed budget for 2009 shows little growth beyond an increase to purchase materials. “The county is looking to cut back further,” he said. “There are three librarian positions that have been unfilled for some time, and they haven’t filled the positions of student pages.” In addition, Wagner said, library staff members are concerned by a proposal from the library trustees to break away from the county. Trustees in May created an ad hoc governance committee to explore the creation of a library district with taxing authority. John Karl is chairing the committee and is researching the concept, which, he said, is years from becoming reality. Trustees established the committee following controversy over a proposal to remodel and expand the main library branch on Clinton Street. The county abruptly dropped the proposal after spending at least $500,000 on design work and upon learning the project would require closing the branch for at least a year. Trustees are now developing their own plan to remodel the library, which will involve minor closures. Wagner said the self-governance proposal especially “waves a red flag for us. We would have to see how that plays out. One would think things would be more expensive under this system.” He added staff was caught by surprise by the closure announcement. For instance, Clingan said, the county provides service to the system, such as snow plowing, that do not show up in the library’s overall budget. Still, she said, a library taxing jurisdiction is feasible for Schenectady County. “It is really pure democracy. They are asking the public to support the library at this level and to elect people to run it,” she said. Under this proposal, an elected board of trustees would govern the system, whereas it now serves in an advisory capacity. Legislator Vincent DiCerbo, DSchenectady, former chairman of the county Legislature’s Library Committee, said he is opposed to the library spinning off from the county. “That is unacceptable; it is creating another layer of government. And it is still going to cost taxpayers’ money and there is no guarantee the library will receive unlimited money by becoming independent,” he said. The library system is facing the same fiscal pressures as are other county departments, DiCerbo said. “Everybody has to sacrifice,” he said.
The county considers the library an essential but nonmandated service to residents. This means the county is not required to support fully the operations of the 11-branch library system. Education law says municipalities with 10,000 or more people must support a library, although the meaning of support is vague, said Carol Clingan, executive director of the Mohawk Valley Library System. Schenectady’s is the largest in the system and serves as a central library for libraries in Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie and Schenectady counties, she said.
SCHENECTADY Library aims to minimize disruption Work to close facility for 4 days BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
The central branch of the Schenectady County Public Library system will begin to get new heating and cooling systems starting the week of Sept. 15, Library Director Andy Kulmatiski said. During the work, scheduled to be completed in December, the central library will be closed a maximum of four days. Tentative closure dates are scheduled for the end of October and the beginning of November, Kulmatiski said. Except for these days, the library will remain accessible to patrons during most the work, he said. “We are looking at minimal disruption because all the work is in the basement,” Kulmatiski said. The announcement refl ects changes driven by public anger at an earlier proposal that could have closed the library for a year. The project’s budget is $86,000 for new boilers and chillers, $372,000 for mechanical work and $124,000 for electrical work. The new equipment replaces mechanical systems original to the building, built some 40 years ago. The Clinton Street building has two boilers, but only one works, Kulmatiski said. “We want to get it out and put in three boilers before winter,” he said. The library is using state grants to pay for most of the work. Kulmatiski said the rehab work addresses only the building’s physical plant and not its need for additional space. Library officials want to expand the central library because of dramatic growth in circulation, which topped more than 1 million items in 2007, and to accommodate additional programming for children and adults. The building has not been changed since its construction. Hoping to address current and future growth, the library’s board of trustees in 2003 established a committee to design an expansion. They wanted to add a new structure between the central library and Police Headquarters, saying it would cost about $5 million. In 2004, trustees went to the Schenectady County Legislature with the proposal for funding. The Legislature owns the building and provides more than $5 million in annual subsidies to the 10-branch system. Trustees serve in an advisory capacity. The Legislature dismissed the trustee design committee in 2004, rejected its plan and hired a new architect for some $500,000 to develop a different design. The architect came up with a proposal to expand the central branch itself by 9,000 square feet and replace the mechanical systems. The cost topped more than $7 million. The Legislature’s plan called for the demolition of the distinct McChesney Room and the construction of a new entrance facing the intersection of Clinton and Liberty streets. Architects showed their proposal to the public, but attendance at meetings was sparse. Earlier this summer, just before the work was set to begin, a project manager hired by the county determined the central library would have to be closed for months, perhaps a year, for the work. The news caused a public uproar and county officials quickly backpedaled. Legislators said they would seek alternative bids for the project with the goal of minimizing any closures. They later withdrew the option, instead agreeing with trustees to postpone any expansion plan and to proceed with just the repair work. Trustees then formed another design committee, which is still working on a concept. They also established an ad hoc committee to explore creating a library district with taxing authority. The district would make the library system independent of county control.
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