$9.4 million project could open in late 2005

By Wendy Miller-Wary-Warrick Publishing Online

Construction on Ohio Township Public Library System's new 40,000 square-foot central branch is well under way and on track, according to director Stephen Thomas. In fact, he said the new state-of-the-art facility may be ready to open as early as November 2005.

The library system has worked for nearly a decade to make the project a reality. When Thomas was hired by the board of trustees in 2000, he gave the project the momentum it needed to move forward by helping finalize the facility's design and setting the construction plans in motion.

The 7.25-acre site near the intersection of Bell Road and Hwy. 66 has come to life since its June ground breaking with construction of the structure's unique architectural design, which is now visible to passersby. Thomas said watching the project progress has been exciting, and he believes the new library branch will be something the community can be very proud of.

"It's pretty exciting," he explained. "It's one thing to imagine something in two dimensions than seeing it (being constructed in three dimensions). It's going to be a phenomenal building and a real asset to Warrick County."

The $9.4 million price tag for the facility includes the cost of land, construction, parking lots and landscaping, as well as architect fees and furnishings. An increase in property taxes (an estimated increase of $35 annually for a $100,000 home) will pay off the bond issue that was used to fund the project. The library system will hold a 22-year lease agreement on the building.

The central branch will offer extended services of the library system's current Newburgh and Chandler branches. In addition, it will provide the space and ample parking to accommodate Ohio Township's continuing growth over the next four decades.

Thomas said recent rains have set the project behind by one week, but he expects that delay will be made up as construction continues. This week, contractors are installing the roof decking and putting in the overhead sprinkler system.

Following the current construction schedule, Thomas said the library system is due to take possession of the facility around the first week of August 2005. From there, it will take a couple of months to move the materials, shelving and other units into the building, as well as complete furniture installations. A soft opening could come as early as November 2005, he said, with a possible grand opening in December 2005.

Features of the new facility are a cafe with a water wall, an outdoor reading garden, a stained glass mural that will separate the adult and children's sections and a flowing river of fiber optic lights beneath a bridge that leads patrons into the children's department. The library will also offer wireless technology, which means a person could check out a laptop computer from the front desk and use it anywhere he or she likes within the facility.

But, beyond the visible features, Thomas said there are a number of unique aspects of the building that will make the library operate more efficiently. So many, in fact, that the facility will become the first public library in the state to be registered as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building. The award is given by the U.S. Green Building Council to facilities that are both energy efficient and environmentally-friendly.

Thomas said features of the new library that make it eligible for this award are a raised floor system that allows all the building's duct work to be installed beneath the floor (allowing the heat to rise naturally, instead of pumping heat downward), the use of recycled materials in the building's construction (autoclave aerated concrete is a recycled product made from fly-ash, a byproduct from coal-burning power plants), and the use of solar panels (which will allow the facility to utilize solar energy).

The facility will be completed with a white stucco finish and blue glazed glass, offering a real "eye-catching design," said Thomas. "I think this is something that people will take real pride and ownership in."