Dan Reiner

dreiner@lohud.com

SCARSDALE - A nearly $18 million plan to renovate and expand the village's library, with residents on the hook for about half the funds, could turn to a community vote in the next few months.

With few updates to the building at 56 Olmsted Road since the 1970s, the library is dated and in need of repair, Library Board of Trustees President Terri Simon said. While the stone-walled building sitting snug in a wooded area gives it a sophisticated, old-age look, many of the rooms inside are dimly lit and congested.

Simon said the building's restrooms do not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and an elevator is needed. The building is two stories with a basement, which only have stair access.

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The Village Board of Trustees has recognized the need for some of the renovations, she said, including access for those with mobility issues, a new HVAC system and other interior fix-ups.

“The village already acknowledges that there is work necessary on this building for pure infrastructure maintenance and remediation that has piled up over years," she said.

Now, the library board has proposed a $17.9 million private-public project to modernize the building inside and out. It is seeking $7.5 million in private donations, with the remainder coming from a proposed $9.9 million bond, and a $500,000 state grant, library director Elizabeth Bermel said.

The village Board of Trustees is expected to discuss next week whether to put the bond to vote as early as February. If approved, the average household in Scarsdale would pay an additional $137 per year over the 15-year bond period.

If renovations move forward, the library would move into a temporary location on Heathcote Road for two years, Bermel said.

The 31,000-square-foot library lacks technological capabilities and meeting spaces that compare with others in the county, she said.

“The people just want more," Bermel said. "So we started doing more and more, and now we’re at the point where we would do more if we had the space, if we had the resources and the technology. (The concept) is all there, we just can’t implement a lot of it because of constraints in the building.”

The project would add about 7,000 square feet of space, including a glass-walled reading gallery overlooking a nearby park. In addition to the maintenance projects, interior construction would nearly double the children's space and add two large program rooms, four small meeting rooms, a technology instruction room and a larger entrance with a café area.

“We came up with a plan that integrates all of these different needs in a lovely design that is not extravagant," Simon said. "It’s functional, and it uses the residential, domesticated feel of our setting.”

Alan Ellis, of White Plains, said he frequents the Scarsdale Library because of its cozy location and old-school vibe, unlike larger, more modern libraries in White Plains and Greenburgh.

"The new one in Greenburgh has no soul to it," he said. "This place has a lot of character and it really reflects the demographic."

At a recent village board meeting, Scarsdale resident Carrie Moskowitz said she isn't in favor of increasing taxes for a project of this magnitude.

“There’s a big difference between wants and needs, and we feel that vision has been totally missed here," she said. "We’re already a highly-taxed community."

Library and village officials visited more than a dozen libraries in Westchester and Connecticut, including Ossining, Greenburgh and Mamaroneck. Those locations completed projects in recent years.

The village board meets Dec. 13. If it reaches a resolution then, a referendum vote would take place before Feb. 13. Otherwise, if a decision is reached by March, the vote could be held during the general village election March 21, village attorney Wayne Essanason said.

Twitter: @reinerwire