Barrington library presents expansion plans to village

The largest library district in Illinois wants more space to serve its clientele.

On Monday, officials from the Barrington Area Library presented plans for an expansion to the village's board of trustees.

"We feel we have to grow and keep up our facilities for the needs of out district," said library trustee Denise Rouse.

The library is proposing a nearly 42,000-square-foot addition for the district's main facility at 505 N. Northwest Hwy.

Rouse said the additional space will allow for expanded services, including a special children's pavilion, more meeting rooms, quiet adult areas, outdoor programing, a 24-hour service window and cafe.

The plan is to put the measure on the upcoming November ballot.

No cost estimates were provided, which Rouse said are still being ironed out.

The library, located in Barrington, was constructed in the early 1970s. An expansion in 1993 doubled the size of the library to its current 58,000 square feet.

A highlight of the expansion, Rouse said, is that it will be incorporating environmentally friendly practices, like rain gardens and green roofs.

Joseph Huberty, the projects architect, said they plan to use "geoexchange" wells to heat and cool the library. The process works by moving heat from the earth back and forth to the building.

This will reduce, Huberty said, how much money the library spends on its electricity and natural gas costs each year. Officials said a similar type of system is being installed at a new facility in the Gail Borden Library District.

"We are optimistic the wells can provide substantial cost savings over the life of the library," Huberty said.

Library trustee Lawrence Weiner was very excited about the "geoexchange" wells.

"It is the wave of the future," he said.

The plan also calls for a two-story parking deck to be built.

Barrington village trustees said they were pleased with the design, which keeps much of the library's park type setting intact

"It is an incredible design," said village President Karen Darch. "The site looks very pretty."

Library officials said they are planning on having a public hearing on the proposed expansion sometime next month.

In 2004, the library failed in its bid to get residents to approve a property tax increase for a proposed $28 million expansion, which would have remodeled the current facility and added more than 43,000 additional square-feet.

The library serves residents of all or part of Algonquin, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Deer Park, Fox River Grove, Hoffman Estates, Kildeer, Lake Barrington, Lake Zurich, North Barrington, Palatine, Port Barrington, South Barrington and Tower Lakes. It covers a 72-square-mile area, making it the largest library district in the state.