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Arlington Heights library's 'makerspace' costs still unknown

Arlington Heights Memorial Library officials said Tuesday they're still working to determine how much it would cost to program and staff the proposed "makerspace" building they could soon acquire from the village.

Library board members Tuesday night also reviewed a draft contract that would transfer the 8,000-square-foot brick building at 112 N. Belmont Ave. from the village to the library, but officials didn't release a copy of the agreement or offer many details about it.

Under the proposed deal, the library would acquire the property through a sale, transfer or some other type of arrangement involving contributions from both governmental entities, officials have said.

While the village has been looking to get rid of the building, the library has considered the site for hands-on learning tools like 3-D printers and laser cutters, computers for coding and programming small robots, and cooking classes, among other ideas.

While not revealing an exact contract price, Library Executive Director Mike Driskell said since the former village teen center building previously received federal funds through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which could have an impact on the amount that is exchanged between the library and village.

After signing the contract and completing a detailed review of the building, library officials would have through the end of May to opt out of the deal, if they so chose, Driskell said. The last time an assessment of the property took place was two years ago, when it was determined the building would need $600,000 in upgrades over a 10-year period.

The tentative timeline calls for library trustees to discuss budget, staffing and parking at their committee meeting Monday, March 4. A public meeting to review the project is scheduled from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 16. Trustees would then vote on a contract Tuesday, March 19.

The village board would have final review of the agreement in April.

Driskell and his management team visited the building Monday to take a look at the rooms and envision what the makerspace could look like - whether they would use just one or both floors and how that could affect staffing levels and programming costs.

If the deal were approved, it could take another year to complete interior upgrades before opening to the public.

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