Library reevaluates new building size

Warwick — Citing increased construction costs, the Board of Trustees of the Albert Wisner Public Library has directed its architect to revise its proposed building plan. The new plan may be available in about a month, according to library board president Donna Applegate A year ago, the library presented its plan to the public which included building a state-of-the-art 27,000-square foot library on 2.2 acres of donated land costing between an estimated $7.5 million and $8.5 million. Leyland Alliance, the developer of Warwick Grove, has donated the property for the new library on McFarland Drive. The developer will go to the Planning Board this month to begin the subdivision process. The library may not move forward with its project until the land is subdivided and the village accepts the road dedication. Since the Warwick Grove development on McFarland will not be completed for several years, the Village Board said it would come to an agreement on road maintenance with the developer before the road is actually ready for dedication. According to state Education Department rules, the library must be accessed by a public street. The library board met last week and agreed to hire Lanc and Tully, PE, to begin subdivision of the land. In addition, the library’s engineer will proceed with a full cost analysis to determine the amount of a bond that would go before Warwick school district voters. The library will then continue the State Environmental Quality Review process before setting a date for the public referendum necessary to build the new library. Paul Mays is the architect who drew the original building schematic. He will also do the reevaluation. The 12 months since the library presented preliminary plans for a new facility have seen an unprecedented jump in costs of construction, according to the library board’s press release. The Library Board was informed by their cost engineering firm, U.W. Marks, PE, that the price would be 18 percent higher than originally indicated. “The matter was out of our hands, as Warwick Grove, the doors of the land, and the Village of Warwick, had several issues to resolve regarding dedication of the new road before we could proceed further,” said Applegate in the release.