Building Project - La Grange Park Public Library

Online Community Building Project Update (Thursday, June 24 at 7:00pm): Join us via Zoom for an update on the building project and a peek of exterior designs. Feedback will be welcomed and encouraged! Register HERE.
Community Feedback Survey (now closed): open to all residents and general library users. Click HERE to read a summary of the survey results!
Business/Partner Feedback Survey (now closed): open to people who work or own a business in La Grange Park.
Slides from public community meeting (June 2018)
Slides from public community meeting (July 2017)

For more information regarding the architect selection process, please read the library’s official statement HERE.

Have a question about the upcoming construction project? Submit it HERE and we may include it in our Q&A below.

Question: The building is only 30 years old. Why do you need to spend so much money to fix it already?
- Answer: 30 years seems like a short amount of time, but in reality a lot goes wrong several decades in as many homeowners can attest to! Some of the fixes we hope to make during this project are to help with regular wear and tear. The exterior issues do need to be addressed, and the longer we wait – the more potential damage to the structure. The best thing we can do is correct the issues to the exterior and ensure our library is sturdy for many more generations of use. For a more detailed explanation of the exterior issues, see the links above for the Water Infiltration Investigation or the Facility Plan.

Question: Are you going to try to pass a referendum to pay for the project?
- Answer: No, we are not pursuing a referendum. We’ve budgeted carefully for the last 6 years since we first learned of the issues with the exterior and we’ve been able to put $1.5 million in our capital savings fund. The rest will come from debt service we will issue during the summer. This does not increase taxes and we pay it off like any other loan over the course of a certain amount of years.

Question: Will the library expand services for children?
- Answer: Our children’s department is the busiest area of our library most days and we would love to expand the space available for children’s materials and services. This is on our “wish list” of things to do if we come in under budget and have funds to work on interior areas. Stay tuned for final designs!

Question: Will there be some sort of outdoor space, like a balcony?
- Answer: Because of the extensive cost of the structural repairs and several interior concerns that we would like to address, we have not prioritized creating an outdoor space for this project. We do have the back patio which overlooks Memorial Park, and we hope to maintain that green space and sitting area. Hopefully future projects and/or grant efforts can support more work on the outdoor spaces.

Question: Does the construction directly benefit a currently seated Trustee at his firm?
- Answer: We have received a good amount of questions about our architectural firm and the process for arriving at that decision. To help explain it more, we’ve worked with our attorney to craft an official statement. You can access that HERE and please let us know if you have further questions!

Question: Will this affect traffic on La Grange Rd?
- Answer: We do not believe this will have any affect on La Grange Rd traffic. If anything, there may be a few trucks pulling in and out of Oak Avenue as workers arrive and then leave later in the day. However, no work is being done that will involve road closures or increased traffic.

Question: What hours will construction be taking place and what dates? Many neighbors are working from home and this will be an enormous disruption to working families.
- Answer: Since we are still in the early stages of designing the work and creating plans, we don’t have anything exact. We do anticipate work starting in late summer. The hours are likely to be pretty “traditional” construction hours of early morning into the early afternoon. The goal is to stay open and not have to close the library. We will update residents as often as possible with any changes to our regularly scheduled hours.

Question: Will HVAC upgrades meet/exceed hospital & COVID air filtration standards?
- Answer: HVAC upgrades are not being addressed in this project.

Question: Will LEED certification be accomplished?
- Answer: LEED certification is not the focus of this project, however we believe energy savings will be found upon addressing issues related to our building enclosure. Where fiscally possible, we are seeking sustainable alternatives to building materials and prioritizing energy efficiency.

Question: How will we pay for this project?
- Answer: The library has budgeted carefully the last five fiscal years and transferred surplus funds into our capital projects fund. This has resulted in $1.5 million in savings for building repairs. To cover the full cost of the project, the library will take out a loan that gets paid back each year out of our operating budget.

Question: What research & discussion has occurred: 1. Sell present land & building 2. Purchase existing land & building for minor remodeling 3. Purchase land & build new library 4. Demolish present & build new library at same location? 5. Postpone & save funding for T.B.D.?
- Answer: This project has been researched and planned over the course of the last seven years. There is no need to demolish our existing library and that option has not been considered, nor has selling the present land and building. We have postponed the project since 2015 in order to save funds, however, the cost of construction is rising higher than expected in the last several years. Fiscally, it makes more sense to pay for a portion of the project through a low interest loan instead of waiting to save all funds needed. The longer we wait, there is also more potential for costly damage to the library which could cause increased project costs in the long run.