Trustees Debate Financing Options for Proposed Library Overhaul

Can Scarsdale afford to build a state of the art library? That was the question at a meeting of the Finance Committee of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees on Tuesday February 9. A determined group of project proponents came to the meeting to press the trustees to approve a $12 million bond to fund the Village's share of the proposed $19.5 million renovation and expansion. Terri Simon, President of the Library's Board of Trustees explained that the board needs this commitment from the Village in order to raise the additional $7.5 million in private funds that they have pledged to contribute to the project.

Simon announced that the Friends currently have gifts and pledges of $1.5 million with another $500,000 of private donations contingent on the Village's approval to fund the project. They are eager to move forward and hope to break ground one year from now in February 2017. She said, "We reject any suggestion that private dollars should come first; the Village commitment will give us the momentum we need to move forward."

Simon sought to explain why the cost of the project had ballooned from the original $12 million to the current estimate of $19.5 million. She said, "We did not permit the architects to design the Taj Mahal," and were "mindful of the cost concerns," saying that the Darien library was "over the top." She continued, "We wanted to serve our programmatic goals in a cost effective way."

The budget includes a total of $1.2 million in fees to the architects for design drawings and construction documents for the new library. The Library Board has already spent $310,000 on architect's fees from their budget and requires an additional $890,000 to move forward with the plans.

While the two-year renovation is in process, a temporary library would be set up at Supply Field. In order to build out the space on the second floor of that building and make it handicapped accessible, an estimated $750,000 would be spent on renovations in addition to $90,000 for construction documents. This project might also need to be put through a SEQRA Review to assess traffic and environmental impacts.

By maintaining library services, Scarsdale would remain a part of the Westchester Library System and residents would be able to borrow books from other libraries. The new Assistant Village Attorney Samantha Garrison said that another option would be for Scarsdale to contract with an area library to serve Scarsdale, but the fee would be based on usage. For example the Ardsley Library serves Elmsford residents at a cost of $250,000 per year and Cortland pays $600,000 for library service. The trustees asked if the Library Board had considered using the Weinberg Nature Center or a big box retail store on Central Avenue as a temporary facility.

Trustees asked Library Director Beth Bermel if there would be savings to the library budget during construction as the building would be closed. She said that the savings had not been estimated but that items like heating, electricity and staff hours should yield savings. It was not clear whether library staffers, who are civil service employees, were entitled to full pay during the renovation period, even if they were not able to work their usual hours.

According to the Village's Director of Capitol Projects Paul Zaicek, even if the proposed expansion did not go through, the Village would need to spend $4.5 million to repair and update the infrastructure of the library. Zaicek outlined potential costs for replacements and upgrades. On the list is a new roof, handicapped accessible bathrooms, a generator, asbestos abatement, HVAC equipment, lighting upgrades, masonry and repointing, $450,000 for furniture, fixtures and equipment, a wheelchair lift and audiovisual improvements.

Commenting on the option of repairing the current library, rather than moving forward with the expansion, Trustee Bill Stern said, "By repairing it we are throwing good money after bad. This would be shortsighted and doesn't bode well for the reputation of the Village of Scarsdale. This is not a good exercise."

Village Treasurer Mary Lou McClure reviewed scenarios for financing the project, examining the impact of a $12 million bond on the village budget. She explained that the Village's borrowing is regulated by state law that says the maximum financing period for a renovation is 15 year, while the maximum financing period for a new building would be 30 years. Borrowing $12 million at 2.75% for 15 years would raise the Village's debt payments by approximately $1 million dollars a year, translating to an average annual increase of about $150 per household and a 2.55% tax increase on Village taxes for 15 years. She presented analyses showing current and anticipated Village long-standing debt which would total $9.4 million through the year 2012 – without the $12 million library bond.

As the time grew short, the assistant village attorney discussed the regulations for bringing the decision to a vote of the entire community. Though the Board of Trustees has the power to pass the bond without a vote, Mayor Jon Mark indicated that the size of the project and its significance to the community might warrant a vote as a "concrete way to get community feedback."

Simon vociferously objected to a community vote saying, "The Library Board urges you not to avoid your authority as a Village Board. It is within your authority to authorize the bond. We think it would be shirking your responsibility as a Village Board to defer this to the voters. Take the bull by the horns, step up to the responsibility and do what you need to do for the community."

In a heated exchange, Mayor Mark responded, saying, "With all due respect, this board is not shirking their responsibility if it decides to put this up for a vote." Referring to information from the Library Board outlining similar projects in other communities, he said, "All of the project you show in your document were put up for a vote. Library bonding issues are common."

In his opening comments at the Board of Trustees meeting that followed the finance committee meeting the Mayor recapped what had occurred and added, "While this board and the Village staff are aware of other bond issuances by the school board that will impact taxpayers, these are not included in the analysis." He said that the finance committee and the Library Board would continue their analyses and hold additional meetings on the proposed project. He said that at this time the Village Board "has not reached any definitive conclusions," and encouraged residents to continue to provide their feedback.

In the public comments section of the Village Board meeting there were many comments in support of the project. Among those who urged the board to approve the financing were Lisa Messinger, Carl Pforzheimer, Harriet Sobol, Linda Chayes, Justin Aris, Laura Miller, Jill Spieler, Joyce Hirsch and Jill Spielberg. Several people had additional ideas about how the new facility could be better utilized by the community. Lynne Clark asked the Board to include a specially designated space for older residents to meet, calling it "Scarsdale Scholars," and Andy Wax brought a laugh to the audience when she came to podium to ask the Board to add a swimming pool to the proposed community hub.