Temporary home found for main Cook library

Cook Memorial Public Library District officials on Tuesday identified an empty storefront in Libertyville as their choice for a temporary library site during an upcoming construction project.

The board unanimously agreed to begin negotiations to rent the former Tuesday Morning shop at 116 N. Milwaukee Ave.

The board also unanimously agreed to begin negotiations to rent warehouse and office space at 801 Technology Way in Libertyville. That site is in an industrial park off Winchester Road.

If leases are approved, both spaces will be used while the main Cook Park library is renovated and expanded this year.

That project is half of a $14 million endeavor that also includes the construction of a new library in Vernon Hills, the other large community in the district. Work began Tuesday morning at the Vernon Hills site, which is on Aspen Drive south of Route 60.

The board cast its votes after a closed-door discussion that lasted for more than an hour. Members did not debate the rental options in open session Tuesday night.

Officials never considered shutting down the main library during the upcoming construction, which should start this spring. They weighed keeping the building open during the work but were concerned about construction-related noise and the safety of patrons and employees under such circumstances.

Relocating to temporary rental space will allow officials to shut down the Cook Park library, which could speed up the construction schedule by several months, officials have said.

Money for the temporary relocation is expected to come from the district's main operating budget and not the construction fund or savings, officials have said.