March 17, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 15 �������������������������� Library plans detailed at township committee meeting by John Koster Last week, the Wyckoff Library Board and architect Todd Harvey told the Wyckoff Township Committee and about 40 audience members of the board’s plan to expand the library. The $3.8-million undertaking will not cost residents a cent in additional tax money. The groundbreaking is expected some time in 2010, after the New Jersey State Librarian approves the detailed plans and the contract is successfully bid. Completion is expected within a year of the groundbreaking, Harvey said at the joint meeting. The Wyckoff Library Board has been saving money for this project the last 18 years, Harvey said, and the expansion should be possible without any additional bite on the taxpayers. He added, however, that due to this thrift, the library needed a new roof, carpeting, and other appurtenances. The expansion plan, Harvey said, was based on perceptions of the library’s changing role in the community. The existing library, completed in 1970, had no young adult room, a children’s room within earshot of the adult section, no space for quiet study, and an outmoded electrical system. The plans would expand the adult area from 5,000 square feet to 5,800 square feet, the children’s room from 1,750 square feet to 4,750 square feet and enclose the area An artist’s rendering of the proposed addition to the Wyckoff Library. to contain noise from children’s activities, and the audiovisual center from 180 to 600 square feet. A new section for young adults would be 635 square feet with an additional quiet study and tutoring space of 150 feet. Answering questions from members of the township committee, Library Director Judy Schmitt and Library Board President Henk Shotmeyer said the library loaned a record-breaking 260,452 items in 2009, and handled 90,502 inter-library requests. The reference librarian answered more than 67,000 questions, and the doors of the library opened more than 200,000 times. Director Schmitt said about 500 youngsters were involved in the summer reading program, and about 6,000 youngsters were involved in comprehensive library programs. She said these numbers would predictably increase when the young adult room becomes available and the children’s room is expanded. Mayor Rudy Boonstra spoke to Harvey and the architect later responded to related questions from Jame Goetting, a resident who has advocated a less expensive expansion by adding a second floor to the existing building rather than expanding the footprint outward. Goetting estimated that, with an interior second floor, the entire renovation could be brought off for about $1.5 million, and the rest of the money could be donated to the municipal budget. Harvey explained that, while the original plans had, as Goetting said, provided for a second-level mezzanine in the center of the building, the slope of the roof made the interior construction of an entire second floor impractical. “The only columns that were designed for additional support were the center columns,” he explained. Trying to locate shelving space in the perimeters of the hypothetical second floor would also lead to cramped head space on either side of the second floor of the building, the architect said. Harvey added that creating an entire second floor would increase staffing needs to supervise two separate floors. The savings from an internal second floor, including staffing needs, would be minimal or non-existent, while the layout would unaesthetic and inconvenient, he said. Library staffers asked for improved restroom facilities, and for a possible exterior restroom to accommodate athletes from the nearby recreation fields so they would not have to tramp over the library carpet in their cleats. These features would be incorporated, though municipal employees pointed out that there are accessible restrooms for athletes on the ground floor of Wyckoff Volunteer Firehouse #1. The expansion plans are available for viewing at the library, which is located at 200 Woodland Avenue in Wyckoff. Hours are 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday. BREAKFAST IN AMERICA Blue Moon’s Weekend Breakfast Eggstravaganza • Plethora of Pancakes • Opulent Omelettes • French Toast • Eggs the way you like ‘em • Yogurt, Cereal, Oatmeal and more of your favorites... Introducing... Every Saturday 8 am - 12 noon and Sunday 8 am - 1 pm at our WYCKOFF Location 327 Franklin Ave • Boulder Run Shopping Center 201-891-1331 www.BlueMoonMexicanCafe.com