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West Side library design unveiled
AUSTINTOWN
Library trustees and the public Thursday viewed architectural drawings of the new West Side library branch, which will have state-of-the-art 21st-century features.
The new branch, to be built at 2815 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown, will be named the Michael Kusalaba Branch Library, in memory of the electrical engineer and 1964 Chaney High School graduate, who died in 2009.
Architect Ronald Faniro unveiled his designs showing the building with multiple slanted roof segments and an exterior comprised primarily of aluminum composite panels and insulated transparent and translucent glass to bathe the building in sunlight.
“It’s a strong, contemporary building,” Faniro told the trustees. “It’s a multipurpose building.”
The new, $2.9 million, single-story building, which will open next year, will emphasize technology and feature meeting and study rooms.
Heidi Daniel, library system executive director, told trustees she hopes to break ground for the new building early this fall.
The 12,342-square-foot branch will serve as a neighborhood branch and as a place to house materials and vehicles for “pop-up” libraries that visit housing projects, schools and community events.
Major funding for the new library is from the Michael Kusalaba Fund, which agreed to donate $1.68 million toward the project in exchange for the naming rights.
The new library will be built on the same site as the existing West Side library, which closed April 30 and awaits demolition.
A farewell fundraising party at the former West Side library will take place from 4 to 9 p.m. July 14, with a $10 admission charge. Funds raised will go toward the building that will replace it.
The new library will feature a public meeting room capable of seating 77, a teen-collection area, an adult-collection area with casual reading lounges, a self-checkout kiosk, eight public-access computers, an audio-recording and video-chat studio, a courtyard for public events, covered and open-air reading patios and a sugar-maple reading grove.
The children’s area will feature a children’s technology hub and early-literacy playscape.
The trustees authorized the library fiscal officer to advertise for and open bids for the demolition of the existing building and construction of the new one and authorized the board’s buildings and sites committee to award the contracts.
The board reaffirmed a 2 percent pay increase and a $1,000 one-time, lump-sum bonus for Daniel, raising her annual salary to $114,240, retroactive to Jan. 1.
Trustees had approved the raise and bonus at a May 3 special meeting, for which it was not on the agenda issued in advance.
After a Vindicator reporter’s inquiry and after receiving legal advice, library officials decided a new vote should be taken at Thursday’s trustee meeting “to err on the side of caution.” An Ohio Attorney General’s opinion said special meeting discussions should be limited to the advertised agenda items.