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Replace West Side library on same site, director proposes.
YOUNGSTOWN
Spurred by a potential major gift in exchange for naming rights, Mahoning County’s public library director has proposed demolishing the West Side branch and replacing it with a new branch on the same site at 2815 Mahoning Ave.
Heidi Daniel made her proposal Thursday to trustees of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.
In doing so, she backed away from last year’s recommendation by an architectural firm that the West Side library be relocated to the former Mill Creek Park ice rink warming house.
“The current location is on a well-traveled avenue,” and provides “lots of room to expand,” Daniel noted. “We are located in between what would be two stable neighborhoods.”
Daniel told the board she and the park administration have concluded the warming house proposal “is not going to be feasible at this time. ... We felt that the timing and finances for the library-in-the park project are not aligning.”
In response to a question from county Auditor Ralph Meacham, Daniel estimated the total cost of replacing the West Side library in its current location at $2.7 million.
She said the Youngstown Foundation approached the library administration last week with a proposal by a potential donor, whose identity still is unknown to her, who is interested in providing more than 60 percent of the project cost in exchange for naming rights.
“In the past, we turned down a couple of people for naming rights,” observed Dr. David Ritchie, board president. “We need to be very careful what we do and how we do it,” he warned, adding the board will form a committee to study the project.
Frank Rulli, senior associate with Faniro Architects Inc., had reported renovating the park building into a library branch would cost $1.2 million, compared with $1.6 million to renovate the Mahoning Avenue building.
The new building Daniel proposed “would focus heavily on technology” and serve as a place to house the library materials and vehicles for “pop-up” libraries that travel to housing projects, schools and community events.
The current West Side building is underused and deteriorating and does not have a handicapped-accessible meeting room or handicapped-accessible upstairs rest rooms, Daniel said.
Daniel urged the board “to move on this somewhat quickly.”
She added, “I don’t know how long the offer [from the potential donor] would stand.”