Survey tracks public support for $8.5 million project
By: Emily Craighead
PLAINSBORO Financial support for the proposed new public library is strong in the township, according to a feasibility and planning study presented at Wednesday’s Township Committee meeting.
Based on responses from 68 participants including board members, library users, township and library staff, foundation representatives, local corporations and small businesses, as well as township officials the study predicts that between $1.6 million and $2 million could be raised through fundraising for the new library.
"These are all outstanding results when compared with other campaigns," said Craig Hall, vice president of Graham Pelton Consulting, the firm conducting the study.
The new public library is planned as an anchor of the Village Center development across from the Plainsboro Shopping Center. A feasibility study drawn up by BKSK Architects in 2004 set the construction costs for the new library at $8.5 million.
While fundraising will cover only part of the cost of the new library, it will minimize the tax impact of issuing bonds to pay for building the library, according to township officials.
"Hopefully, this will give us flexibility when we are deciding what we want to see in the new library," Business Administrator Bob Sheehan said.
At an upcoming meeting, the Township Committee is expected to vote on a new $150,000 contract with Graham Pelton to organize a fundraising campaign in four phases over 18 months.
"One of the benefits is that it can leave us with an infrastructure of fundraising that the library can draw on in the future," Mayor Peter Cantu said.
The survey found 98 percent of respondents felt the new library was "absolutely critical" for the township, and that it will be the perfect addition to Village Center.
Of those interviewed, 89 percent had an "extremely favorable" perception of the library’s director, staff and programming. And 86 percent said they would make a gift to the Plainsboro Public Library campaign.
"It’s a great statement about the positive community feeling" about the library, Deputy Mayor Neil Lewis said.
The township decided to move forward with plans for the new library after the BKSK Architects’ study determined that building a new library would cost nearly $1.5 million less than expanding the current facility. Officials have discussed for years the prospect of doubling the size of the single-story library, currently located in the Municipal Complex off Plainsboro Road, but the cost of the expansion project was too high.
This proposal would allow the township to use the current library space for recreational and cultural activities, since the township has outgrown many of its facilities.
The proposed three-story library building could include a glass wall extending across the front, a long colonnade and portico, a rooftop terrace, a small café, community spaces, a science center and an eye-catching tower that would serve as a beacon.
The final design and cost of the project are subject to change as the plans are refined.

