www.alamogordonews.com/ci_11822944 -
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Published on: 3/3/2009
Last Visited: 3/3/2009
The first option, according to Allen Stenger, secretary of the Alamogordo Public Library Foundation, is to upgrade the existing facility at 920 Oregon Ave., at an expenditure of $3.5 million.
The second, and most appealing, option to APL Foundation members, Stenger said, is to build a new library using the former IGA building at 1300 10th St.
"We're now recommending that we refurbish the old IGA building, which would be much cheaper than building a new library," Stenger said.
"The IGA is a hollow shell right now.
If we used that, we could build out to about 25,000 square feet out of a 50,000 square foot building there.
The current library, he said, is about 20,000 square feet.
"If we were to build at the IGA, that would be somewhat of an improvement over what we have, plus we could build out more of it later as we get the money," Stenger said.
While refurbishing the current building is an acceptable option, Stenger said he isn't sure if much could be improved with $3.5 million.
"Probably not a whole lot, maybe (expand to) about 12,000 square feet or so," he said.
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Stenger said there is an added attractiveness to using the IGA building.
"The IGA land was donated to city in 2000 for purpose of building a new library," he said.
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"That's an undesirable option for the city because it's a nice block of land right in the center of town," Stenger said.
Stenger also said the estate is donating $500,000 for construction on that site.
"There's an extra $500,000 that wouldn't be available if we refurbished the current building," he said.
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Stenger said that there is an additional $1.2 million in capital outlay that has been set aside for the purpose of a new library.
"That may not be usable in expanding the current library," Stenger said.
"That's in dispute right now.
That could go one way or the other.
The IGA land is much more attractive because of all the factors I mentioned."
Stenger said the current library, built in the early 1960s, is "full of book shelves" with very little space for people.
"There's not much room to grow where it is," he said.
The current library building, he said, was originally build at 10,000 square feet and expanded in 1987 to its current 20,000 square footage.
There's a contingent of people, Stenger said, who are attached to the current library, especially the storybook wall.
Stenger said an architectural study was performed in 2002 about what to do with the wall, which was built in 1963 and contains artwork of children's favorite storybook characters drawn on ceramic tiles.
If the bond passes and the IGA site is chosen, Stenger said the wall will most likely remain where it is.
"It will be safer and less work to leave it where it is," he said.
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Neither option is set in stone because, Stenger said, the city commission will have the final say.
"The city commission is not committed to any of these plans yet," he said.
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Stenger is optimistic the library bond will have a good chance at passing next Tuesday.
"I'm optimistic because the school bond went so well," he said.
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