Glen Ellyn Library seeks $3 million for repairs

Glen Ellyn Public Library officials are asking the village to issue $3 million in bonds to fund what they say are much-needed repairs at the 14-year-old facility.

Library board President Larry Stein said efforts to hold down construction costs when the facility was built in the mid-1990s resulted in "unintended consequences."

Portions of the library weren't built according to plan, he said, and some parts - including expansion joints - are missing entirely.

Consultants say it will cost $3 million to repair the roof and make other improvements.

"We were shocked," Stein said of the projected cost. "If we could make the number any less, we would."

Village President Mark Pfefferman said Stein made a good case this week, although some village board members wondered how many of the repairs must be done immediately.

"The building's needs are real and they need to be addressed," Pfefferman said. "The questions that remain are what work is really necessary and what may be less urgent."

Trustees asked the library board to return with more detailed information, including details of its finances.

The building opened in 1995 after two years of construction and at a cost of $6.7 million. Materials used during the construction have resulted in leaks and trapped condensation that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars of repairs that have been paid for with surplus funds. The library does not keep a general maintenance fund, which adds to the difficulty of addressing major concerns.

With surplus funds dwindling to less than $100,000 and no alternate source of revenue that could even approach $3 million, Stein said the library had no choice but to ask for the money on Monday.

"If we don't fund the known expected deterioration of our depreciating assets, it will become a continued fiscal emergency each year," Stein said. "We're going to be allowing the building to deteriorate."

Among the work consultants say must be done is more than $1.7 million on roof, masonry and elevation repairs as well as $500,000 of work on the heating and ventilation system.

The library will hold three public meetings on the issue, beginning with one at 2 p.m. Oct. 5 at the library, 400 Duane St. Through these meetings, the board hopes to present its case straight to its constituents.

The library hopes to repay the proposed bond issue over 11 years and would require a tax increase to do it.

Library Director Dawn Bussey said the need is great and inaction would probably lead to a reduction in services in order to establish a maintenance fund to do the necessary work.