By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Warsaw Community Public Library’s board is facing some major questions in the next year or two as it sorts out its long term future.
Faced with a growing list of major repairs, the board — along with Library Director Heather Barron — are looking at all options available.
The list of repairs are extensive.
Those range from the need for a new sprinkler system, new boiler and new chiller. On top of that, both the building’s roof and the parking lot are aging and will need attention soon, officials said.
Barron said accessibility is another priority. Wheelchair access is less than ideal and involves snaking around the east side of the building.
“Our handicap ramp is all the way over and it’s not quite made for a full turn and if anybody comes in, they have to use two different elevators currently, so how can we address that with renovations,” Barron said.
On top of that, the two elevators have had numerous problems over the years and officials admit both are aging and the cost to replace either would be very expensive.
The situation is serious and urgent enough that the library has hired two consultants and have started work on a feasibility study that will help determine the best overall approach forward.
They first need to determine if it is cost effective to renovate the existing library.
While renovating the beloved Carnegie-style library is the first choice, the board is also considering new locations and possibly building a new facility.
Library officials recently toured the old Marsh supermarket on South Buffalo Street to see if that might be a viable option.
That property is owned by the city of Warsaw, which has been marketing the property for nearly a year with no success. The building has been empty for several years and has its own complicating issues that have slowed interest.
“We’re just open to any properties that fit our needs,” Barron said.
Given the location and availability, Board President Chris Merrill said they felt the need to at least consider the property. To a great degree, it was a matter of due diligence to consider the site.
“There isn’t a lot of space downtown, but we’d like to stay downtown,” Merrill said. “We’ll do our best.”
Barron said recommendations from the feasibility study could take at least six months.
Also at Monday’s meeting, representatives from Ice Miller’s Municipal Finance Group and Baker Tilly made a presentation recapping financial options the board could consider.
Compared to other libraries, WCPL has no existing debt and a large tax base that could accommodate financing with the issuance of bonds to finance a large project.
The existing circumstances, they said, offer flexibility in developing a plan.
The consultants reviewed two hypothetical scenarios in which the library could look at projects that could cost as much as $11 million or $6 million.
Barron said they are not specifically looking at projects that would cost that much.
She stressed the library is only in the beginning stages of researching options.
The consultants also pointed out that in addition to the library board approval, financing for a contruction plan would have to be approved by Warsaw City Council.
