Advisory referendum is likely to gauge support of $17M Glencoe library expansion

Glencoe officials will soon formally hit the books on a multi-million-dollar project that would start a new chapter for a beloved institution.

Village trustees during their Thursday, Oct. 16 Committee of the Whole meeting heard a thorough presentation from Glencoe Public Library officials that detailed the library’s plans for a massive renovation and expansion project.

The library’s large-scale vision for reimagining its building on Park Avenue aims to create more versatile spaces, improve accessibility and add smart, sustainable and safe systems to the facility, officials said.

Plans call for multiple additions to the existing structure and design proposals, according to library documents, will bring “intuitive, community-focused spaces where people can gather for innovative programming; collaborate or work independently; learn, reflect, dream and play.”

Officials say the library, which was built in 1941, has “not kept pace with how people live, learn and connect today.” The current building, officials add, faces challenges related to inaccessible and cramped spaces, uneven building temperature, nonintuitive spatial flow and limited storage areas for staff.

Additionally, the building had a shortage of meeting and program space, which has in turn led to the library turning away potential programming opportunities.

Andy Kim, executive director of the Glencoe Library, told trustees that the library’s board of trustees conducted a capital needs assessment in 2021 that identified more than 300 issues requiring repair or remediation within the next 20 years.

The Library Board then in 2023 approved its current strategic plan with the goal of completing a renovation of the building by the end of 2028 to create a facility that “better serves the community today and tomorrow,” according to a library memo submitted to the village.

Project architect and Glencoe resident Adam Semel, from the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, presented some of the specifics of the library’s vision to trustees during the Oct. 16 session.

Semel said project planners to this point have done a “huge amount of community engagement” and extensive “learning, listening and engaging.” The firm first spent time understanding the best parts of the existing library and the areas where residents want to see less change before diving into improvements.

A key goal for planned revisions to the interior is improving wayfinding throughout the library and enhancing the flow of the space through vertical connections. Semel noted that library patrons who aren’t overly familiar with the building can have difficulties navigating the space when entering.

The library’s current elevator is difficult to find and doesn’t touch every half floor, Semel said, noting that parts of the library are not fully accessible to all now.

Renovation plans also call for the creation of new spaces to better accommodate the needs of both the library and its patrons. Library officials are proposing a 1,840-square-foot addition to the southwest side of the building that will serve as a “state-of-the-art Glencoe program and community room.”

Per Semel, the new space would accommodate up to 150 guests and through a deployable wall feature will offer flexibility to partition into smaller spaces. Semel said the addition will be a “great space for event and community gathering” and will be a room that’s “super multi-functional.”

A 1,000-square-foot addition is also proposed for the top floor of the library. That space will be mainly geared toward enhancing the library’s children’s services but could also be used as a “flex space.” The addition will expand the children’s space by nearly 40%, according to the library’s website.

A large portion of the library’s existing collections are crowded into stacks on the west side of the building that are not ADA-accessible, Semel noted. Renovation work will address this with a 1,000-square-foot addition that will reconfigure the area through increased accessibility and better browsing for patrons.

The plan also features a new public entrance at the south side of the library next to the proposed community-room addition, a new central elevator, new spaces for staff, small group meeting rooms on the lower level and more.

Semel said that the building also needs an overhaul of HVAC and mechanical systems as well as repairs to the foundation.

Funding plan

The project’s current price tag is steep.

Kim told trustees that the library is estimating the total cost as of October will be $17.3 million. Kim outlined the several ways in which the library is hoping to fund the effort.

The Library Board earlier this spring launched a capital fundraising campaign, and thus far, Kim said the campaign has raised nearly $800,000. Officials have set a goal for the campaign of $2.5 million, Kim said, adding that “we feel strongly we can reach it by the end of the year.”

Those campaign funds along with money saved in the library’s special reserve will reduce the amount of a bond issuance that will be needed to finance the rest of the project.

Right now, the estimated bond amount is $14.3 million but Kim said that library officials are working to re-estimate the overall cost given the rapid increase of capital projects in the current market.

Due to the way the Glencoe Public Library is classified under state legislation, the library cannot levy its own property taxes. The Village of Glencoe levies on behalf of the library at the request of the Library Board, Village Manager Phil Kiraly explained.

Because of this, for library projects that require a bond issue, the village ultimately has the responsibility to levy on behalf of the board.

As a newly minted home-rule municipality, Glencoe no longer is required to have a binding referendum to issue bonds. But “given the scale and magnitude of a project like this, it would be in all of our best interests that a referendum question still be posed to the community,” Kiraly said.

Given the timeline of their project, library officials hope to place the advisory referendum question on the March 2026 primary ballot, which is the next election that would be held in the area. To do that, trustees would need to approve placing the question on the ballot either during their November or December meeting.

Although the referendum will technically be considered non-binding, Village President Howard Roin said the village will only move forward with issuing the bonds if voters give the green light.

“If the referendum passes, I think we all understand that we’re going to proceed to issue the bonds … and if the referendum doesn’t pass, no matter how excellent we think the project is, we’re not,” Roin said. “I think everyone on the Village Board is with that program.”

“For worthwhile projects, generally Glencoe residents say yes, and I hope that they will say yes now,” Roin later added.

The library’s plans will next appear in front of Glencoe’s Zoning Commission during its Nov. 3 meeting where the board will consider special-use permits required for the project. The village board then could author a final decision on the permits at its December meeting. Plans will also need exterior appearance review by Glencoe’s Plan Commission.

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