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Expansion Facts
Is a referendum needed to accomplish the solution?
No referendum or tax increase
will be needed to accomplish this solution. All that is needed is approval by the majority
of the Library Board of Trustees.
Why not add 30,000 square feet of space to the Cook Park Library?
The Board’s
most recent three year plan suggested one option of doubling the size of the Cook Park Library. Based on an estimated cost of about $22 million for a 30,000 square foot
addition, this option appears not to be feasible. The cost of such a project exceeds
available funding by a large amount. This option also has additional drawbacks. The
parking on the site is limited and the lot is often filled to capacity. The site is a
challenging one, and doubling the size of the building would be difficult to accomplish
without impinging on the aesthetics of Cook Park, the Cook Museum and the residential
neighborhood in which the library is located. Based on these factors, a smaller expansion
is recommended. 10,000 square feet was chosen to provide a modest expansion that
would allow the building to remain in character with its surroundings, yet provide space
for a significant improvement in services.
Why not build one central library for the District?
At various times during Cook’s
building planning process, it has been suggested that a single, central library would best
serve the needs of the District. Although this option is currently under consideration, it
should be noted that the construction of a new 65,000 square foot building would exceed $22 million dollars, not including site acquisition. Once again the budget for such a project
exceeds available funding.
Won’t operating costs increase with larger buildings?
There will be some increases in
operational costs. These include increases in costs for maintenance and custodial work,
utilities and insurance. These additional costs have been factored into a five year budget
projection. The budget assumes that both projects will
be complete and online by the final year of that budget.
What about increased costs for additional employees?
Our goal is to open up both of
the new facilities without an increase in the number of FTE employees. Operations at
both facilities must be carefully considered to keep staffing costs under control. For
example, it is anticipated that the new facility in Vernon Hills will operate with a single
staff desk, similar to the current Evergreen Interim Facility. It is anticipated that the
expansion of the Cook Park Library will allow for efficiencies to be achieved.
Technology will also be utilized to achieve staffing efficiencies. For example, Express Checkout
technology will allow patrons to check out their own materials. We believe that technology and careful planning will allow us to operate both facilities without increasing the total number of FTE employees.
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