By Rick Dandes
The Daily Item
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SELINSGROVE — The $2.5 million project to renovate and expand the Selinsgrove Municipal Building and Community Center Library has entered the critical design phase, a necessity before fundraising can begin, a borough councilman said Tuesday night.
After much discussion over past months about whether to move the library and municipal building to new, separate locations in downtown Selinsgrove, Borough Council decided to house both, and expand their current facility, at 1 N. High St., said Peter Carroll, chairman of the borough’s administration, property and equipment committee.
“The library, which is 40 years old, is not moving out of the building,” Carroll said. “We will be sharing space. But the space does need renovation. The ceilings are showing some cracks. It definitely needs modernization.”
Expansion will take placed on the north side of the building, Carroll said.
“It’s the library that will be doing most of the expanding, changing the front entranceway, which will tie in with (Selinsgrove) Commons. We will possibly make some changes on our side, where we house the seat of government,” he said.
The alleyway may also require construction to align with the Commons.
The biggest hurdle is the funding, Carroll said.
Library officials have said they can raise the $2.5 million, but Carroll seemed unsure of how they’d do it, and library Director Jennifer Johnston was unavailable for comment.
“We’ll have to see if they can fund-raise that amount,” Carroll said. “After that, we’ll have a clearer picture of where we stand financially, and what we have to do to complete the project. Quite possibly we can apply for grants, solicit donations.”
Once the design is complete, fundraising will begin.
“We’ll have brochures and documents drawn up,” Carroll said. “Something to show people in the community.”
Construction should begin in early spring.
“At least that’s when I expect contracts to be drawn up,” Carroll said. “We, as a borough, must be cognizant of the fact that we’ll have to spend our money too on this project. Money appropriated in the budget.”
Later in the evening, during the Selinsgrove Borough Council meeting, Borough Manager John Bickhart said that weekly 9 a.m. Wednesday meetings would today, with participating officials from the council, library staff and EI Associates, in Harrisburg, the project’s architectural firm.
“We need an effective working group meeting weekly to keep this project moving forward,” Bickhart said. “Our architects at EI will be leading the meetings, but we want to be hands on all along the way. We’re not at the nitty-gritty moment in the design phase yet, but when we are, I want all members, and the public, to know where we stand.”
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