The Hopewell Borough Council wants to know what residents think about the idea before the borough decides to purchase the Amy Karyn building at 64 East Broad St. for a new library.
By John Tredrea, Special Writer
The Hopewell Borough Council wants to know what residents think about the idea before the borough decides to purchase the Amy Karyn building at 64 East Broad St. for a new library.
The building has a parking lot while the current library, in the heart of the downtown area, has no parking area.
The Karyn building’s listed sale price is $999,999. Negotiations could change that figure.
”After nearly two decades of examining how to meet the multiple needs of the community for public library services, the Board of Trustees has identified the commercial property located at 64 East Broad Street as an exciting, feasible solution,” Woody Carsky-Wilson of the library’s board of trustees told the council at its Monday night meeting, which drew a roomful of supporters for the proposed move of the library.
”This property resolves the numerous problems present at the library’s current facility, including parking, compliance with the ADA, pedestrian safety, space for the collection, operation and storage needs,” he said.
Mr. Carsky-Wilson said the library’s trustees want the council to partner with the library on the proposed move.
”Our Board of Trustees has committed to a multi-year capital fundraising campaign with the goal of raising at least $1.2 million,” he said. “This capital fund campaign will fund the move, renovations and an addition to the 64 East Broad St. structure, resulting in an approximately 5,000-square-foot library facility.
The other key partners in this effort are the Friends of the Library and a Library Capital Fundraising Committee, composed of board officers and community members who will provide the leadership for the campaign.
Under the proposal aired by Mr. Carsky-Wilson and other library officials Monday night, the borough would pay for the purchase of the building. He said an architect retained by the trustees has evaluated the building and said moving the library there is feasible.
Mayor Paul Anzano said the council will need to “get a good sense of public sentiment before financial resources are committed to something of this magnitude. I would encourage public discussion on this. We need to know the public supports it.”
Councilman Schuyler Morehouse agreed.
”I would love to see our library moved to that space, but we have a fiduciary responsibility. There are a lot of other funding issues we have to deal with,” he said.
Mr. Carsky-Wilson said in an effort to gauge public the library will hold a public meeting within the next three weeks, time and place of that gathering to be announced later.
Anne Zeman, director of the borough library, said the existing library is very cramped for space.
”We’ve actually had to turn people away because of the fire code,” she said. “We don’t have enough chairs. We need quiet areas, study corrals and a special meeting room.”
She said use of the library has been steadily increasing.