By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – Most Bloomington aldermen support the idea of expanding the city’s public library at its current Olive street location, but library leaders believe construction is probably a couple of years away, especially if the city council agrees to the most expensive options.
Aldermen sat down Monday with library board members who tried to convince council members the current library, built in 1976, is bursting at the seams.
A report to the council says library renovations 11 years ago increased space by 25 percent, but the city’s population jumped 87 percent.
A ‘band-aid’ approach maintaining the current facility will cost at least $2 million.
New construction and renovation could cost up to $39 million, prompting Alderman David Sage to recommend an “incremental” approach to library improvements. And council member Scott Black sees Normal’s opposition to a merger of library systems as a “missed opportunity.”
The report the council said the expansion can establish the library as a “focal point and catalyst for a public-oriented downtown cultural and municipal hub.”
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected].
