Building Committee Sought for Branch Library's Renovation, Possible Expansion

Fairfield Woods Branch Library, the busiest branch library in the state, may be booked for a renovation and expansion.

The Library Board of Trustees on Monday night voted unanimously to ask the town's Board of Selectmen to establish a building committee to renovate, and possibly expand, the Fairfield Woods Road library, which was built in 1969 and which underwent a modest renovation about 20 years ago.

"It's both a space issue and the fact the space is falling apart and damaging the books," said Brian Kelahan, chairman of the Library Board of Trustees.

Board members said Monday night that the library's roof is in poor condition and that the 1147 Fairfield Woods Road library was too small, doesn't comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act and its heating, ventilation and air conditioning system needed to be replaced.

Town Librarian Karen Ronald said water had recently leaked through the roof in the children's area and that leaks damaged books in the library's mezzanine area. She described the leaks in the children's area as "big" and "massive."

"Water and books don't go together very well," Ronald said. "In the last few months, we've had them."

Ed McCourt, from the town's Department of Public Works, said the town had patched the library's roof, but he said it's old and that the 20-year warranty expired in August. "A patch is a patch. You don't want to keep patching your roof," he said.

McCourt estimated that a new roof would cost about $100,000 and that the board would need to consult a structural engineer to determine if the library's roof could support a second-story addition. He said some of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment was past its useful life, particularly a boiler that was part of the library when it opened 41 years ago.

McCourt said restrooms in the library would have to be made ADA-compliant in a renovation and that the library would need new fire suppression sprinklers.

Board members said the library's computer lab was built for five people but now had 18. Kelahan said Fairfield Public Library had multiple meeting rooms for tutoring and that kids on the Fairfield Woods side of town "have to schlep themselves downtown." He said the branch library lacked parity with the downtown library, and Ronald agreed, saying there was "no equitable provision of library services."

Kelahan said the Library Board of Trustees wasn't asking for money yet for the renovation and possible expansion of the branch library. "We're looking for a way to get into the process," he said.

The board didn't have a cost estimate for its project, though First Selectman Ken Flatto in February had listed the project at $6.2 million on a long-range capital plan he developed for bonding. The 2005 renovation of Fairfield Public Library totaled about $12 million.

Board members said a cost figure couldn't be attached to Fairfield Woods Branch Library's renovation and possible expansion because a scope of work hadn't been established.

Board members talked Monday night about creating an informational video about the branch library that could be used to raise money in a capital campaign for the project.

The Fairfield Woods Branch Library may be a branch, but it's not a quiet one, Ronald said. "It's not a sleepy little branch we can ignore. It's on the state's radar," she said.