Rockville Public Library Project Could Start in June

So with Monday's major fund-raising announcement in the books, what does it all mean for the Rockville Public Library's expansion project?

It means a June ground-breaking is on the radar screen for something that essentially started with simple accessibility work. When asked to elaborate, Thomasina Clemons, the president of the library's board of trustees, just smiled and sighed.

Her opening remarks to the announcement had already said enough.

"For these corporations, these individuals, these beings, these entities to make these contributions - hefty contributions - it shows respect and admiration for this area of town," she said. "It has lifted the spirits of the library and the community."

The project's cost is estimated at $3 million, and on Monday, representatives from both Rockville Bank and the George Sykes Memorial Fund handed over to the trustees checks for $250,000.

The Sykes Fund has been around since 1903 - a decade after the library was founded - and Chick MacMillan, the fund's president, said it is a perfect use for the money.

"We are very pleased," MacMillan said. "It's a way to give back to the population this fund wants to serve - the young adult population. This is right in our bailiwick."

Rockville bank President and Chief Executive Officer William H.W. Crawford IV said he was a little older that young adult when he discovered the value of a library - when he needed quiet place to study in college.

Besides, Rockville Bank also traces its origins to that part of town in the 19th century.

"We go back to 1858 and we've been neighbors for a long time," Crawford said. "We will always remember the roots of this company, its history and where we come from."

The library was awarded a $1 million matching grant from the state library and a $250,000 grant from the state for handicapped accessibility improvements.

The trustees have allocated $238,000 from an existing building fund and individual contributions total about $400,000.

Clemons said after two major donations are sorted out, the project will be "a couple of hundred" thousand short of the total fund-raising goal.

Trustee Robert Hurd said it began as an Americans with Disabilities Act compliance project a few years ago because no one at the library wanted anyone to have to go outside to change wings and find a rest room. He said state Rep. Claire Janowski helped secure the initial quarter-of-a-million in grant mopey and that lead to a full-fledged expansion project being put on the table.

Library Director Donna Enman said the goal is a June ground-breaking ceremony. The state Bond Commission must render final approval to the $1 million grant and the state attorney general must also sign off on the project. An agreement has been reached with a general contractor, which will be announced with the final approval of the plans, she said.

"In addition to the ADA improvements and giving the library the space and improvements it needs, this project will create jobs for the people in this area," Enman said. "I know that is what the governor is looking for and this is one of those projects."

She said the project should take about 18 month to complete. In all, the library will be adding 6,000 square feet - 4,000 of that actual library space - to its existing 16,000 square feet, she said.

The upcoming project will include major accessibility renovations to make the building fully ADA compliant, including an elevator to connect the three floors.

Construction will add a new portico and entranceway, an expansion of the Young Adult Collection, and additional space for the adult collection.

A conference room with up-to-date technology will provide space for new programs and community meetings. There will be new computers for Internet access in the Adult stacks and the Young Adult section, as well as technology upgrades. Locked glass cabinets will allow for preservation and public display of historical documents and artifacts.

The parking lot will be reconfigured to add 42 more spaces, including additional accessible spaces.

Enman said that the Library will remain open throughout the project.

The Children’s wing and the Reading Room will not be affected during construction. Adjacent buildings with parking will be used for programs, offices and meeting space during the construction period, and they will be accessible to the public, Enman said.