Vernon Area Public Library expansion plan headed to ballot

Editor’s note: Information about the impact on the tax rate and tax bills has changed, based on updated information from library officials.

Vernon Area Public Library District residents will be asked this fall to approve a $53 million expansion plan that would result in much more public space — and also higher property tax bills.

The referendum, which will be on ballots for the Nov. 3 midterm election, envisions an 11,000-square-foot addition to the library at 300 Olde Half Day Road in Lincolnshire. The addition would connect the main library to a nearby, freestanding building called the Annex.

More space for programs, a makerspace and more study rooms are among the proposed improvements.

Officials want to borrow $39.5 million to cover about 75% of the project’s cost.

If approved, the district’s tax rate would increase to nearly 39 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation, up from about 30 cents. That means the owner of a $400,000 house would pay an additional $121 in property taxes to the library district the first year.

Officials anticipate covering the remaining $13.5 million in expansion expenses using money from the district’s reserves, federal clean energy rebates and other sources.

The library board voted Tuesday to put the plan on the ballot.

Vernon Area primarily serves patrons from Lincolnshire, Prairie View, Buffalo Grove, Long Grove, Riverwoods and Vernon Hills, as well as parts of Vernon and Ela townships. The roughly 54,000-square-foot building has two stories, but public access is limited to the first floor.

The 10,000-square-foot building now called the Annex was the district’s original library, serving the public from 1979 to 1993. It’s west of the current building.

Once the current library opened in 1993, the Annex was used for storage, staff space and programs. When the main building was renovated in 2013, the Annex resumed its original use for a few months.

But since it doesn’t meet modern accessibility standards, it’s no longer used by employees or the public, library spokesperson Catherine Savage said.

As part of the expansion, the Annex would be renovated and then house the makerspace, an instruction room and a community room, as well as spaces for staff and storage.

Officials also intend to move the library’s main entrance — now on the south side of the building — to the eastern edge of the addition. It’ll be closer to parking areas and more visible to visitors, Savage noted.

“Relocating the entrance to be more centrally located was one of the highest priority requests we heard from patrons across multiple surveys, focus groups and open houses,” Savage said.

A secondary entrance would be created at what is now the Annex, Savage said. That would allow the western portion of the building to operate independently during larger community events or after-hours activities.

The heating and cooling, electrical and lighting systems would be upgraded, too.

Construction could begin in late 2028 and be completed by fall 2030. Officials expect the library would remain open during construction.

Learn more about the plan at vapld.info/buildingproject. Fact sheets are available at the library, too.

rlissau@dailyherald.com

Time to grow?

Here’s important information about the Vernon Area Public Library’s expansion plan:

Total proposed cost: $53 million

Funding sources: $39.5 million from loans; $13.5 million from reserves, energy rebates and more

Impact on tax bills: About $30 per $100,000 of house value

Impact on services: Would add 21,000 square feet of public space, resulting in more space for programs, a makerspace, study rooms and other uses

Source: Vernon Area Public Library District