$497K library upgrade proposed
By Jeff Gallatin
North Olmsted
Published June 13, 2007

City officials are mulling a nearly half-million dollar proposal for a series of changes designed to make the Cuyahoga County Public Library branch more youth friendly.

Design and library officials outlined the proposal at a June 7 city council committee-of-the-whole meeting. The changes would put a multi-purpose room in the basement for a variety of uses, set up a homework room, alter the children’s area and move a computer section away from that area and also provide a little separation from the nearby city service area. City officials said it’s likely the changes could be paid for with money from the library funds drawn from the levy, which passed several years ago.

Michael Gareau Jr., chairman of council’s building, zoning and development committee, said the proposal has strong merits.

“I’m excited by this,” Gareau said. “We’ve been talking about different ideas and ways of making the branch better for all of us, and these plans are the result of that.”

Branch Manager Dianne Discenzo, as well as Anthony Fina and Julia Jacobs from RCU Architects in Independence, said the moves would benefit the youngsters and adults by utilizing space in the library better.

“When I talked to Superintendent (Kurt) Stanic, we talked about the large number of youths who come over from the middle and high schools because the library is so close to them,”  Discenzo said.

One way the library could aid those students even more is by providing a formal homework area, a concept which has worked well at several other branches in the county library system.

Councilman-at-large Ron Tallon asked how the students would be monitored and gain access to the study area. Library officials said they would have regular staff employees for the area, as well as tutors to work with students on homework. In addition, students would have to sign in for the area and go down with the group. There also would be video monitoring of the area.

Referring to the proposed multi-purpose room, Discenzo said it would allow groups like the scouts and other youth-oriented organizations to spread out a little and make a little mess if they need to. The setup of the room would allow for better cleanup.

Having that room would also allow the library’s other meeting facilities to be better utilized by other groups. Currently, groups are limited in the number of meetings they can hold because of the high demand of the rooms, Discenzo said.

Jacobs outlined the changes to the children’s area, which would move computers utilized by adults primarily away from the children’s area and into a another part of the library where they wouldn’t be exposed to as much potential noise or disruption from the youngsters.

In addition to moving part of the displays around, the new setup would also include an Ox-Cart children’s area which would be designed like a farm and highlight the history of North Olmsted in a way designed to appeal to children. Both Gareau and Ward 3 Councilwoman Nicole Dailey Jones, who both have small children, thought this idea would work well.

“It’s something magical whenever you can go to even a small area in a display and find something new  and exciting to learn about,” Gareau said.

Tallon suggested setting up a glass wall, and Ward 4 Councilman Larry Orlowski said maybe a plexi-glass area should be part of the changes. Officials said they would consider them.

Fina outlined ways to set up a better fence and sidewalk area to keep youths from going between the library and the city service area.

Tallon, chairman of council’s finance committee, said he thinks the plans have promise, although he’d like to see them fine-tuned a little.

“There’s a lot to it,” he said. “It could do some really nice things for the community.”

Tallon said he’d like to see a little more definition to the children’s area and the fence and sidewalk works.

“We’ve made some suggestions about how to make it better, but these are things which can be worked on,” he said. “I also want us to talk to our bond counsel for the library funds and see exactly how this can be done before we proceed.”

Mayor Thomas O’Grady said later the proposal is a strong one.

“It’s something which will aid the entire community and fulfill the library’s function to serve the community,” O’Grady said.

The preliminary estimated costs for the project are $497,479 with a breakdown of: multi-purpose room $154,370; homework center, $91,139; restroom, $47,00; children’s area, $148,290; stair and vestibule, $25,000; and 10 percent contingency, $31,680.

On the Net:

• North Olmsted Branch, Cuyahoga County Library
• City of North Olmsted