The Library Board meets tonight at 5:30.

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The following questions were asked of Huntley Library Board Frank Novak:

1) Why do we need a library twice the size of what we have now when utilization is down 30% and likely to continue?

2) Why is the cost over $400 per square foot when new commercial space only costs around $125 per square foot and half of the money for the library is only remodeling, which should cost even less?

3) Why is 30% of the library’s circulation DVDs? How does that benefit the public? Why compete with RedBox and NetFlix?

Here is the reply from Library Director Frank Novak:

Here are responses to the questions:

1) Why do we need a library twice the size of what we have now when utilization is down 30% and likely to continue?

A: The Huntley Area Public Library was outgrown quite a while ago. In fact, it was probably too small not long after it was built. The library passed a referendum in April of 1997 to build the current facility and grand opening for the new library was in July of 1999. The first house sale in the Sun City development was closed in April of 1999. After that, the Huntley area’s population exploded.

We are currently operating in a building where the Children’s Department (with an occupancy limit of 12 people, including staff) and the library’s only program room are in trailers. Those trailers are at end-of-life. Once the trailers are gone, the library will have to move those services back into the original library building.

The new building program was community-driven.

The library held meetings in 2018 with a Core Planning Group of people from the community to provide guidance for the size and design.

The library also had a Citizen Task Force of additional citizens who attended multiple meetings are provided recommendations to the library board related to the amount to spend on the project, its size, and its design.

Additionally, the library held a focus group of Sun City residents and it held three community discussion meetings for citizens to share their opinions about the project and provide input on the design.

The library’s architects attended each of these meetings in order to directly interact with our community members.

Staff members and library trustees also offered input, but not until after the community did.

Furthermore, the library board members have unanimously supported this project from the beginning.

Libraries are used differently today than they were fifteen or twenty years ago.

We do far more programming, tech training, job training, and so on, than in the past.

People come to the library to use our high-speed Wi-Fi connection without ever checking out any items.

Still others use the library’s digital collections both in-library and from their own homes.

People use the library for business purposes.

Tutors meet with their students here.

Community groups use the library’s single program room continually.

Students come to collaborate on school work after the school libraries have closed, and so on.

2) Why is the cost over $400 per square foot when new commercial space only costs around $125 per square foot and half of the money for the library is only remodeling, which should cost even less?

A: Here are some of my initial points about the square footage cost figures:

1) library buildings are different from other buildings (especially residential or light commercial) in that they are designed to accommodate heavy public traffic and provide myriad experiences/functions

2) the cost includes furniture and equipment

3) there is sitework that needs to be done including dealing with water retention matters and adding parking

4) we have to pay Prevailing Wage for the project which (in my opinion) increases our overall costs quite a bit

5) we are including escalation costs

6) we are factoring in bond rate increases

7) we are including a design and construction contingency in the overall cost

Then, I specifically asked our architects and cost estimator about the square footage cost figures.

Here’s what they had to say:

The library project is responsibly envisioned to current standards for public libraries in IL and in the Huntley area.

The estimates provided are based on that vision and incorporate market-based pricing for recently completed library projects, and current similar library public projects.

The market (the final bids) ultimately dictates the final pricing of any project, these are estimates based on actual pricing and bids the construction manager sees in the market as well as factors in historical cost data for public sector projects in the area.

The total cost per SF also includes the design and physical construction of the project from start to completion, and includes the fees to consultants for their work.

Often times, cost per SF numbers people read about do not include design and construction.

The total cost per SF also includes all of the anticipated “soft costs” i.e., it’s all-inclusive, completely comprehensive, so there is not more money needed to finalize the project.

Cost per sf between projects and building types is always apples and oranges.

A plan was developed and a professional independent estimated generated from that plan.

The estimate was based on a detailed take off all components and is inclusive of all costs so we do not need to go back to ask for more money because something was left out.

Cost per sf does not provide an explanation of the actual work.

For example the cost to replace an outside chiller is a cost that does not corollate to sf being it is outside of the sf of the building footprint.

The library is designed around a similar level of interior and exterior finishes as the existing library so the building addition appears to be harmonious with existing library minus a two story volume.

This project will be publicly bid so the community can be assured they are getting a fair price for the project.

3) Why is 30% of the library’s circulation DVDs? How does that benefit the public? Why compete with RedBox and NetFlix?

A: The fact that 30% of the library’s circulation is DVDs, by itself, answers the question about benefit to the public.

Obviously, quite a few people value those items in our collection.

The library also has streaming movies and music available to the public.

Not everything in a library needs to have value to everyone for every reason.

As a public library, we meet the needs of the public at-large, not just one subset.

The library has been “competing” with other business interests for years.

This is nothing new.

In addition to being a primary source of information and services for our community, we support and supplement what is commercially available to the community. And we will continue to do so.

As technologies change, so will the library.

It is also important to mention that we, as a community, can afford more collectively than we can individually.

Can people buy books elsewhere or pay for materials elsewhere?

Of course, but there are many folks who recognize the value of economies of scale that the public library provides by offering materials, programs, and services that do not have to be purchased for each individual, each time those materials, programs, or services are used.