Books back in Bordentown

Library reopens after four years

By: Cara Latham
   BORDENTOWN CITY — City resident Jane Method’s family used to spend Friday nights reading together at Barnes and Noble.
   But now, they will have somewhere closer, and more personable to go — the Bordentown Branch of the Burlington County Library System on East Union Street, which opened 10 a.m. Monday after being closed for four years for renovations.
   "Now, I think we’ll spend Friday nights here," Ms. Method said, as she walked through the aisles on the basement floor of the library Monday. One of her daughters sat next to her on the floor, already diving into a book. Her family, she said, is looking forward to coming here after school and during the summer.
   "It’s been a long wait, we’ve been very impatient," Ms. Method said, holding another one of her daughters in her arms. "I saw they have a lot of board books for babies, too."
   Residents poured into the library throughout the morning. Many students, off on spring break this week, sat at the computers. Others scanned the new additions to the library.
   Some residents were signing up for library cards; others were taking their toddlers to the children’s section, where tables with chairs of varying bright colors seemed to form a line toward the large, vivid mural painted on the wall, depicting an underwater world.
   For Christina Quintino, and her daughter, Ashley Castan, who was looking for a mystery book and a fiction book about ancient Egypt, it was more of a coincidence.
   "We were actually just looking for the library this weekend, and we noticed it was opening," so they decided to come on Monday, she said.
   The mural, done by artist Michele Jagodzinski, and funded by contributions made to the Bordentown Library Association, even had a couple of seahorses with hair and facial features resembling a few members of the staff at the library.
   "My first impression is that it’s a really smart use of space, really inviting," said Bordentown resident Rachel Schwartz.
   Ms. Schwartz bought a house in Bordentown in June 2003, just a few months after the library closed for the renovations. In that time, she had gotten married and had a son, who is now 2½ years old.
   "We’re really happy to have a library to take him to that’s just in town," she said. "In Fieldsboro, you could only go there to pick things up."
   During the repairs, a temporary library was set up at the Fieldsboro Municipal Building.
   In addition to the mural, a renovated fireplace — part of the original library in the upstairs section of the library — has been restored, and invites residents in with a homey feeling. Residents can also get a peek at some underwater friends at the aquarium, or enjoy four times the number of computers the original library had. The library is now a wireless hotspot, so residents may bring their laptops in as well, said Regina Bociutis, the branch manager.
   County Clerk Philip Haines, who attended the opening, said that the library will also serve as a satellite clerk’s office.
   "Our original plan was to increase access to the entire county rather than have people come to Mount Holly for every one of their needs," he said. "This being the largest county in the state of New Jersey, the northern part is a logical location for a satellite office."
   The library will start off by processing passport applications for residents, a very busy part of what his office does, he said. Then, it would expand to include a range of services, including notary, public certifications and business registrations, he added.
   The process would start off small, with one employee working several days or parts of several days each week, he said. Probably in about one month to six weeks, it would be in full operation here, he added.
   He also commented that the newly improved library was very practical and useful and that he liked how it incorporated some of the history into the area.
   "It’s just a place I would like to visit," he said. "It’s a pleasant, multiuse facility," he said, adding that it had something for everyone from children to adults.
   Joe Lawrence, the president of the Bordentown Library Association, said he wasn’t surprised with how well the library turned out because he had been visiting it often during the repairs. He said he is very pleased with the end result.
   "I think what most people had in their minds to see here is here," Mr. Lawrence said.
   Gail Sweet, library director for the Burlington County Library System, said she, too, thought everyone will enjoy the library.
   "Thank goodness it has a happy ending," she said. "It was a long time getting here, but let’s look to the future."
   Bordentown Regional High School freshmen Abbie and Sam Shain were excited to get to the library as soon as it opened.
   The twins said they got their library cards when they were 3, and can recall the mother-daughter reading group that they attended.
   "We used to go every week when we were little," said Abbie.
   The twin sisters had been going to Mount Holly in the meantime, where they would take out 20 to 30 books a month, because "we had read most of the books we wanted to read here," Sam added. "We’re going to come (to Bordentown) all the time. We’ll get to use it for (school) projects."
   The expanded library, which has more than doubled in size, was expected to reopen at the end of December, but officials were waiting for a certificate of occupancy. Last week, a wheelchair lift in the library, which was the final piece in getting that certificate, passed inspection on April 5.
   The Board of Chosen Freeholders hired Hill International, of Marlton, to complete the $2,462,952 expansion project, which began in March 2003 and was set to increase the 4,200-square-foot Bordentown Branch of the Burlington County Library System by 10,550 square feet before the end of 2004. In addition, 31 spaces of off-street parking were added.
   The project got behind schedule early due to construction delays, funding issues, and in February 2005, a terminated contract with construction company Altchem Environmental Service Inc., of Southampton, Pa. Though the freeholders rehired the company last June, they again grew dissatisfied with progress of the project, and fired the company in February 2006.
   Hours for the library will be 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The library is closed on Saturdays and Sundays during July and August.