Library ‘Plan B'

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 By Anya Tikka and David Hulse MILFORD — The Pike County Public Library directors Wednesday unveiled building “Plan B” for the county commissioners. Ben Hogan, Vice President of Hogan Homes, outlined a new, comprehensive turn-key plan for new construction on library’s land on East Harford Street. Hogan explained he had been asked to present a different building design on the existing library land in Milford. He said his company is a certified green builder, and has built several public and private buildings, including libraries. “The soup to nuts cost is $3 million,” said Hogan in response to a question by the Commissioners. “That includes everything, from permits to designs to engineering to computers, to parking, sewage, and the actual building.” On July 12, as she outlined library plans for purchase of the Biondo building, Board member Rebecca Lindsey told Milford Borough officials that the budget would allow nothing more than a 4,000 square-foot building on the new land. But uncertainty about the purchase and renovation costs of the Broad Street building have pressed officials to consider other alternatives. Additional building sites were suggested by Library Committee member Carole Linkiewicz. She said Paupack School has been on the list. While older buildings may not be as energy efficient, maybe they could be made so at a lower cost, she suggested, as an alternative. Dave Farrington, a builder interested in bidding for the insulating concrete form, said he’d recently been involved in an old school- house renovation, and it was so efficient the builders could not find a heat pump small enough for the building. The new library building proposed by Hogan is 6,000 square feet, with the main level being an open design with “lots of glass”, and the second floor would house administrative offices and meeting rooms. Additionally, the unfinished basement would offer room for future expansion for walk-in functions. The building would also have a three-stop elevator, and outside areas where people could sit. “The library would be built with the end-user in mind,” said Hogan. Commissioner Harry Forbes asked if the price included complying with the 46 pages of conditions attached to the grants. “You could work to them?” he asked Hogan. Hogan’s answer was “yes.” The outside of the building would have only about ten percent vinyl, said Hogan, adding, “We excel at design-built buildings.” Maleyne Syracuse, Pike County Public Library directors’ chair, said after the presentation the Committee was still half a million short of the $3 million and asked the commissioners to consider either an outright grant to build, or an increase in the yearly operating cost grant, currently at $200,000. The Commissioners said they would consider the options, but chair Richard Caridi later said nothing is settled. He said Hogan’s cost figures were his own, but spending grant funds could require bidding. “He might not win the job, and then he might be paying (higher) ‘prevailing wages,’” which would drive costs up. He remains concerned about the overall planning. “Nothing’s better. I don’t care what they say on TV, nothing’s better,” Caridi said. As to increasing library funding, Caridi said county finances face the same economic issues as the rest of the state. “I’m not going to commit to spend money I don’t have,” he said. As the Courier went to press, the commissioners and library directors were scheduled to meet again Thursday morning.