Plainsboro gets updated plans for new public library

Fundraising hits $1.1 million mark

By: Molly Petrilla
   PLAINSBORO — Plans for the new Town Center took further shape Wednesday night at the Plainsboro Township Committee meeting.
   George Schieferdecker of New York-based BKSK Architects LLP presented an updated set of plans for the township’s new public library and shortly afterward, the committee agreed to make small zoning changes to the Town Center area.
   Mr. Schieferdecker said plans for the 34,000-square-foot library — which will serve as the anchor facility in Plainsboro’s new Town Center off Scudders Mill Road — are now in the design and development phase.
   As proposed, the library will consist of three stories and cost approximately $12.4 million to construct — almost $2 million more than initially expected.
   It will be built primarily of brick, but will also have a long, sleek, all-glass center.
   The first floor will contain a café and art gallery and house the library’s fiction collection. It will also consist of a large reading room made entirely of glass that Mr. Schieferdecker said will look both "transparent and dynamic."
   Committeeman Neil Lewis asked if the large glass area would create temperature concerns in the summer, but the architect assured him that BKSK will use high-performance glass to help keep temperatures stable.
   The second floor will house the facility’s nonfiction collection and also include a history room that overlooks the reading room.
   The children’s collection, a science center and a program area will all be placed on the building’s third floor. Mr. Schieferdecker said the children’s area will consist of "interesting, randomized and fluid" architecture, and the program area will have a sloped ceiling that can be used for projecting films or photos.
   Mr. Schieferdecker said the project is expected to stay on budget. "We think we’re in very good shape," he noted.
   Following the presentation, Mayor Peter Cantu said fundraising efforts for the new library have been successful so far. To date, committees have helped raise $1.1 million — a figure he hopes will reach $2 million in the next six to eight months.
   The committee also unanimously approved minor changes to the township code regarding zoning for the new Town Center.
   Included in the amendments is a provision that states nonresidential buildings in the center may not exceed more than 110,000 square feet, and another that caps the number of single-family detached units at 13.