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Downtown library plan draws fire
$8M project calls for temporary closure of Schenectady main library

By PAUL NELSON, Staff writer
First published: Wednesday, May 7, 2008

SCHENECTADY -- Colette Sicotte says the main library in downtown Schenectady remains her family's favorite, even though they have used several other branches of the Schenectady County Public Library system.
Sicotte and her three young children will be among the 1,400 daily library patrons who will be forced to seek other options if a controversial $8 million renovation keeps the library closed for a year or more. The building, opened about 40 years ago, is at Clinton and Liberty streets, sandwiched between City Hall and police headquarters.
     
The first phase calls for replacing the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and electrical systems, as well as asbestos removal, expanding the children's section and a new cafe, meeting rooms and circulation area.
The McChesney Room would be demolished to make way for a new entry off Clinton Street. The work, set to be finished after two years, would add about 9,660 square feet of usable space to its present 26,800 square feet.
Proctors would let the library use about 8,000 square feet on nearby State Street during the closure. In addition, hours and services at the nine other smaller branches would be increased.
The prospect of temporarily shuttering the popular library has upset some in the community and prompted charges by a library board member that the group felt pressured to go along with what the county wanted or risk losing a large chunk of funding.
Board member Harold Wusterbarth voted last month to close the library during construction, but he conceded "an avalanche of protest" has caused him to change his mind.
Wusterbarth now says he believes a scaled-back plan the board and the Friends of the Schenectady Public Library supported years ago is more suitable and would keep the doors of the library open during the upgrades.
Bernard Allanson, president of the Friends of the Schenectady Public Library, said Tuesday his group had not taken a formal position on the issue, although he personally was in favor of keeping the building open. "The primary purpose is to serve the public, and we can't serve the public if we're closed," Allanson said.
Along with the board, Allanson's group has raised about $2 million to pay for the work while the remainder will come from taxpayers.
Bids on the project are due by May 16, according to Anthony Ward, the project's consultant and president of AKW Construction.
Plans now call for the library to be closed July 1, with construction on the first phase to begin July 15. Work would last anywhere between 12 and 14 months, Ward said. He noted the library would reopen during the second building phase.
Democratic Legislator Gary Hughes said the decision to close the library was largely based on recommendations from the consultant, who advised that it is the safest way to get the upgrades done in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Hughes agreed, but seemed willing to leave the door open to other options.
"I think we need to see the cost, and once we have the costs and design we can make the decision," said Hughes, who chairs the committee on education and libraries.
Despite her reservations, Sicotte says she is willing to live with the closure.
"It's tough because you want the improvements, but at the same time you have sacrifices, and if Schenectady is going to advance, I'd rather they didn't close it, but I'll take one for the team," Sicotte said Tuesday as she stood outside the library with her children. "I think this library has the most kid-friendly space."Republican Schenectady County Legislator Robert Farley is less optimistic. Farley said he believes the library would remain closed for closer to two years.
"It would deal a crippling blow to the finest library system in the United States," Farley said during Monday's County Legislature agenda meeting. "We need to come up with a better solution."
Mohammad Rahman, who owns Taj Mahal Indian restaurant on Jay Street, not far from the library, said shutting down the library during construction would hurt business.
"If they close, that means we're losing," said Rahman, adding that some of his customers lunch either before or after trips to the library.
Janet Hutchinson, owner of the Open Door Bookstore & Gift Gallery, also on Jay Street, agreed with Rahman. "People who go to the library read books, and library patrons are my customers," she said. "I have a lot of concerns about that project overall." Nelson can be reached at 454-5347 or by e-mail at pnelson@timesunion.com.

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SCHENECTADY
Library plan draws fire Support group says ‘public against’ closure
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

    
    One volunteer at Monday night’s meeting said leadership in the county Legislature forced library trustees to accept the latest design, otherwise the county would not pay for the work.

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ex·tor·tion  Pronunciation[ik-stawr-shuhn] P
–noun
1.     an act or instance of extorting.
2.     Law. the crime of obtaining money or some other thing of value by the abuse of one's office or authority.
3.     oppressive or illegal exaction, as of excessive price or interest: the extortions of usurers.

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Alternative to library closure must be found

    As a former member of the board of the Mohawk Library Association, I was chagrined to read your story about plans to close the Schenectady central library during renovations.
    That trustees would plan an $8 million project without making provisions for the library’s patrons represents a shocking dereliction of responsibility. And Esther Swanker’s “let-them-eat-cake” comments about having us all go to the branch libraries (as important as those neighborhood institutions are) betray an extraordinary lack of understanding.
    My family walks to the central library and, what with books, DVDs, CDs and periodicals, we check out more than 500 items per year. To think that the branches can fill this function for hundreds and hundreds of patrons like us is simply silly.
I would strongly urge the county Legislature to become forcefully involved in looking anew at the library’s plans.
FRANK DONEGAN
Schenectady

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Library’s wheels will fall off if hub closes

    The recent shocking news that the Schenectady County Central Library will be closed for 18 months is yet another example of undemocratic, non-representational thinking by the county Legislature and library board.
    At a time when downtown development is being encouraged, the public is being told it can’t use its No. 1 free resource downtown. Over 50 percent of the circulation is generated by the downtown library; of that, fully 11 percent will be totally disenfranchised as it will no longer be able to walk to the facility. It’s impossible to measure exactly how much of the hard work to improve service and expand programming will be irretrievably lost, but there is no doubt that this will be the case. It’s now too late, as things stand, to poll users to find out if alternate use proposals are viable options.
    Patrons are being told that the branch libraries will pick up the slack. The notion is as ludicrous as it is uninformed. The newer, larger, more modern branches are only available by car, while the bulk of the more accessible satellite system — the older, smaller branches already stressed to capacity — can’t handle a doubling or tripling of services, no matter how many extra hours they are open.
    The downtown library is called the main, central library for a reason; it’s the hub of the wheel; remove the hub and the spokes fall off. If some practical way can’t be found to leave the central library open for public use, the decision makers should reconsider the project to serve the public rather than taking bids on the project as it stands now.
    ALAN CATLIN
    Schenectady

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Change library plan to avoid long closure

    We are dismayed to learn that the main library in Schenectady will be closed for 18 months while being renovated. This is an unacceptable decision. Library services can’t be denied to the 1,400 people who use them every day.
    The downtown library attracts many people from both within and outside the city. We use that library for materials not available at our Niskayuna branch. The fact that the downtown library attracts people to the city is one of its primary assets. We frequently combine a visit to the library with shopping at the stores on Jay Street, buying vegetables at the farmers’ market or getting a latte at Villa Italia. The financial impact of this decision on Schenectady’s economy cannot be overstated.
    We also are aware of many downtown library users who use library services within the facility but may not be actual borrowers. These people depend on that library for computer access, a location for tutoring and a place to read newspapers and other materials. They may not have transportation to one of the branch libraries — you can’t assume that they have other options for library service.
    The plans for the library should be reviewed from the perspective of maintaining downtown library services throughout the construction process. If it’s impossible for the library to remain open throughout the construction process, then another suitable temporary downtown location must be found. If this involves additional expense, then the library plans must be adjusted. For example, the cafe should be eliminated. (A cafe would compete with existing commercial establishments in the neighborhood and isn’t part of the library’s mission.) Furthermore, we aren’t convinced of the need to destroy the McChesney Room.
    It’s clear that the planning process hasn’t been as thorough as it should have been. As much as we are eager for the library to be improved, this project must be put on hold until a suitable plan for downtown library service is developed.
    DAVID AND PATRICIA GOSDA
    Niskayuna

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Schenectady library plan altered

By TIM O'BRIEN, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
Last updated: 5:37 p.m., Saturday, May 10, 2008

SCHENECTADY - To reduce the length of time the Schenectady Public Library's main office has to be closed, county officials are altering the plans for a renovation project.

The Schenectady school district has also agreed to open its libraries for extended hours when the main branch is shut down. Hours at other library branches will also be extended when the main library is closed.

Susan E. Savage, Schenectady County Legislature chair, said in a prepared statement contractors are being asked to respond to both the original bid specifications and two alternate bids meant to lower costs and shorten the period when the main branch will be closed.

One alternate plan focuses on replacing major systems in the building including removing asbestos, installing a new heating and air-conditioning system and general improvements to the first floor.

The second alternative focuses on using the upstairs of the facility to house library programs, eliminating the need to change the basic footprint of the building. The second-floor space is now used for administrative space and book storage.

By consolidating administrative space, additional room is freed up on the second floor for library services. Under this plan, the McChesney Room and other parts of the main floor will be upgraded rather than adding time and expense of expanding the first floor.

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Susan E. Savage, Schenectady County Legislature chair, said in a prepared statement contractors are being asked to respond to both the original bid specifications and two alternate bids meant to lower costs and shorten the period when the main branch will be closed.