By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Leaders with the Warsaw Community Public Library will present their case to the Warsaw City Council on Monday in hopes of gaining their support for a $17 million bond needed for significant renovations.
The request comes amid uncertainty about government spending as state leaders try to implement property tax reform measures, and just days after a primary election in which opposition to a parking garage proposal became a hot issue.
Library Board President Chris Merrill acknowledged that there are concerns out there as they prepare to make their pitch.
“Yeah, I agree that does seem to be the case. I think it’s because there’s a lot of uncertainty in what’s going on at the state level, especially,” Merrill said Monday after a board meeting.
He and others contend there’s a sense of urgency over the building’s aging infrastructure. One of the most recent problems involved a burst pipe that flooded part of the building and caused extensive damage.
“If we don’t do this now, there’s a chance that things will get (beyond what) we can fix in the next few years. And that puts us into a territory where we can be underground for being shut down by the fire marshal, for accessibility, for all sorts of different things. And because the uncertainty is what it is, I think we just try to be positive about it, and get done what we can. And if things do go south, then we’ll do the best we can,” he said.
Merrill points out that it’s tough for libraries to set aside money for big expenses and that bond issues are the common path for such projects.
“Like I said, we’re doing the best with what we have, but we’re kind of at the end of what we can do with the money that we’re allotted. So we’ve got to come and ask for the big bill. And we think it’s worth it. We hope everyone agrees, right?”
One of the building’s biggest problems is accessibility, in part because it relies heavily on service elevators and stairs.
On Monday, an area resident, Dennis Crumbly, brought his 92-year-old mother to the library board meeting to highlight some accessibility issues inside and outside the building.
Much of the handicap access is difficult to use and out of date with current standards. The building relies heavily on stairs, and the elevators have a long history of malfunctioning.
He said he thinks even if they move forward with renovations, which include parking lot improvements, immediate upgrades in the parking lot are needed.
Crumbly said he plans to attend Monday’s city council meeting.
The library board fully supports the renovation plan, but the city council holds the final decision.
Library officials will make their support to the city council at a meeting that starts at 7 p.m. Monday at the training center adjacent to the city police station.
