$17.5M Glencoe library referendum closer to ballot, as residents question the expansion’s details

Glencoe’s plan for a major public library renovation and expansion took two steps forward last week.

Library officials during a Dec. 3 forum collected residents’ feedback on the major public project, and a day later, library trustees made official its plan for a spring referendum that will ask residents’ opinion on a $17.5 million bond sale to support the project.

The referendum, while still needs Village approval, would be non-binding; however, officials have said they will not move forward with the project if voters do not support it.

As previously reported by The Record, the library expansion would add about 4,000 square feet to the current building by squaring off two areas on the south side and building out community spaces. It also would make substantial improvements to the existing building, including putting it in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A redesign conversation began in 2021 and has been evolving since.

The cost of the entire project has increased about 16%, or $2.7 million, since officials provided a projection of $17.3 million earlier this year.

In addition to the bond proceeds, the library is counting on a $2.5 million fundraising campaign, called Rooted in History, Building for Tomorrow, which has raised about $1 million thus far, according to library officials. Among the donors are families of three library trustees: Linda Lin, Roger Parfitt and Michael Pope. 

Hearing from neighbors

The ambitious plans were met with mixed emotions on Dec. 3, when residents inquired about the cost to property owners and the need for such an expansive project.

Parfitt, the board’s president, said a capital needs assessment found over 20 problems at the existing building in need of addressing and “it just doesn’t work for ways people want to use the library.”

In response to a question about the cost of the two additions, Architect Adam Semel, the project’s managing director, said one large program area is projected to cost $2.5 million and the other approximately $2 million.

While the designs presented on a large screen wowed many with the way they depicted natural light flowing into community spaces, some residents took a critical view of the project, questioning its necessity and if it could be folded into the library’s existing budget (approximately $3.3 million).

“The property taxes in this area are prohibitive. They are forcing people like myself to ask, ‘Can I afford to still live here?’” resident Brian Edelstein said. “The thought of a tax increase, I don’t find it palatable.”

Officials estimate the project could add $130 more in taxes for every $10,000 in property taxes owners pay.

Semel, a Glencoe resident who was raised in the village, called it “an honor” to work on a project in his hometown, and he said it is his fifth library project in the past 10 years.

Semel is aware not all Glencoe residents welcome changes to the existing library building.

“The community got back to us. They like this room the way it is. Don’t improve it. Let’s leave the room alone,” he said while standing in the Johnson Room on the first floor in front of the bay window overlooking a green space. 

One resident asked about the contingency total — a standard project-budget line item to account for cost overruns. The library expansion budget includes $200,000 contingency figure earmarked for removing an underground storage tank if one is discovered.

A resident said she hoped the library’s manual date-stamps wouldn’t be a casualty of the renovation and expansion. Another asked about damage to the trees on the green from the construction. Semel said the plan is to keep several of the mature trees, but a large pine and a large hardwood tree will have to come down.

Semel said that since 2024 he has attended committee meetings, town hall discussions and staff workshops “getting to know how the library works.” He has spent time in the building and witnessed its noted shortcomings. Among the problems the plan’s design addresses is the stair orientation.

“It’s not a very intuitive library,” he said. “The elevator is hard to find and doesn’t actually touch all of the half levels of this building, so it’s not accessible.”

Semel also considered the building from the outside in and the inside out by asking “what’s happening in the building and what’s happening in the village,” he said. “Glencoe is going to change over time.”

The expansion plans include two large community spaces where events can be held. 

Library Trustee George Krafcisin said that the library has stopped offering some popular events because it had to turn away people. For a orchestra performance, he said, people ended up sitting on the stairs as the Johnson Room was filled to the brim.

The goal, he said, is to create a library that will become a community social center and a gathering place.

Executive Director Andrew Kim said the library holds about 400 events a year. When a resident asked for a list that supports the need for more space, Kim said the library staff is working on one.

A resident asked whether the library had considered using nearby performing arts spaces for its large-scale events, negating the need for larger community rooms, while others expressed concern about parking.

Semel said he has experienced congestion in downtown Glencoe. He recommended the rare 150-person events be timed to avoid the most congested times. 

“As a resident, I wouldn’t move the library. I wouldn’t abandon the building,” Semel said. “There’s a lot of parking here, but you’re going to have to walk a little bit.”

Kim said the library’s condition also affects employee retention. He said the library needs more flexibility, and “We lose great staff because of how hard it is to work here.” 

Low-carbon materials used in construction are expected to be cost-efficient while providing thermal comfort, Semel said.

Deciding on a number

A special Library Board meeting was held a day after the resident forum.

Trustees spent an hour discussing how much in bonds they should ask property owners to back to make the project a reality, before unanimously approving $17.5 million (Robert Kimble absent).

Kim said the board’s $17.5 million referendum request will go to the village for review before being put on the ballot in March.

Prior to the vote, the trustees discussed the project’s funding.

Trustee Linda Lin said she was concerned the $20 million cost estimate might not be enough if inflation pushes up construction costs. She noted the increase in costs in a year.

“Sixteen percent in one year is a large, large increase. If this went up 16% a year (again), this would be a $25 million project in two years,” she said. 

Despite her concern, Lin also said early in the meeting she didn’t want the referendum to ask for more than $17.3 million in bonds, and several trustees agreed.

“I really like “17 (million),” Parfitt said. “The project is going to take 30 months. I think we need to continue to take money out of the operating budget so we can help fund this, because we don’t want to look like we’re blithely putting it on taxpayers.”

Board Vice President Jim Fiffer, though, advocated for a higher number.

“My view is to get as much as you can with a number with 17 in it. I don’t think anybody will blink if it’s 17.9 versus 17.5, and you get another $400,000,” Fiffer said. 

The library needs enough money to do the project “the right way,” Krafcisin said, “because there’s nothing to cut that won’t affect the ultimate goal on what we agreed on three years ago.”

Fiffer agreed by saying, “I understand all of the arguments that support $17.5 (million)… but I haven’t heard anything to suggest it would be wrong to ask for 17.9. It seems it would be very helpful. I haven’t heard anything negative.”

Fiffer noted the fundraising goals dropped this week to $2 million from $2.5 million as donors aren’t competing for naming rights for the community room.

“Can we light a fire under our fundraising consultants? I’m kind of disappointed in the number, given we have two hired hands. … Is there anything we can do to get more out of them,” Fiffer said.

Lin said a donor has expressed interest in naming rights for the children’s department, but the contribution hasn’t yet been secured. 

Trustee Michael Pope said the board should continue to seek donations and that the library is continuing to reach out to residents, mentioning an initiative to send 700 letters to potential supporters.

“Something is going to come from that,” he said.

In a parting remark as the meeting was adjourned, Fiffer said,  “It looks like we’re going to be having a lot of a bar mitzvahs in the community room.”

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.