The Library Board held a special meeting on March 25 to hammer out a number of outstanding issues related to the construction project. As the project enters the last round of the permitting and approval process, the overall message of the meeting was “Plan for the Future!” Among the decisions made were Green Building designations, the location of administrative offices, storage space allocations and some extras and finishing touches at Commack and Kings Park. The total size of the buildings and the allocation of public space have not changed from the plan that was approved by the voters in March 2008.
The Board has always had a wish list of items called add alternates which could be included or eliminated as the project progressed. As more detail is designed and built, more exact costs can be assigned. The further development of our plan and recent changes in the economy prompted the Board to fast track some of these add alternates. The Town Planning agencies work on monthly cycles so missing a deadline can mean a month delay.
Green Buildings: One of the main reasons our building program was brought to the public was that our air conditioning, heating and electrical systems had been running for 40 years without any major upgrades. Not only are these systems on their last legs, but they were built at a time when energy efficiency wasn’t given much attention. Well times have changed and the board has made the commitment to try to obtain LEED certification from the U. S. Green Building Council http://www.usgbc.org/. The Library has hired Smithtown’s own Horizon Energy Consultants and will also work with LIPA to try to gain Green Building Certification. This certification goes beyond energy efficiency and deals with a range of environmentally friendly and healthy building characteristics. Most of the green consulting costs will be reimbursed by LIPA. In addition there are rebates available for implementing some green technologies.
Administrative offices: The question of exactly which offices would remain in each building was resolved. The Library Director and Business office will stay in Smithtown, while some services like Networking, Internet, Newsletter and Graphics will move to the Armory. The amount of available public space in Smithtown was retained by moving more storage capacity to Nesconset.
Smithtown: The addition at Smithtown will be reinforced so a second floor could be added in the future if needed.
Nesconset: A cost savings was achieved by the decision to have the second floor of the Armory used for storage instead of offices. Green building certification requires a basic level of finishes and energy efficiency so this storage space could be easily converted to other uses if the need arose in the future.
Commack: One of the add alternates for Commack has been to build basement storage under the new addition instead of building on a slab. The Board decided to move forward by including the basement and also adding outside access to the new basement.
Kings Park: The Board decided to add the same type of basement and access in Kings Park as in Commack. As the final plans were being reviewed by the Town planners, we were informed that members of the Kings Park community wanted to change the contemporary look of the existing building and the new matching addition to a more traditional, perhaps colonial feel. Redesign at this stage will add architectural fees and construction costs. A more complicated exterior will cost more than the current sleek contemporary design. Ultimately, the Board wanted the residents to be happy with their library. They felt that in the long term, the delay in starting the construction of the buildings and the elimination of other potential add alternates would be outweighed by the long term impression realized by including an exterior design that the Kings Park community is looking to achieve.
Construction Status: We are still waiting for final approval of our building plans by the Town of Smithtown and The Village of the Branch. The Main Library is in Village jurisdiction and the other three are in the Town. The Library Board has been advised that they will get the most for their dollar if all four buildings are bid as one project. They are anxiously awaiting approvals. Once the approvals are received, the projects will be bid. Construction should start within two months of the bidding process.
