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Safety Harbor OKs Library Improvements

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: January 26, 2008

SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - Expansion and remodeling of the Safety Harbor Public Library,101 Second St. N., will cost more than originally projected.

Designers found the original 14-year-old roof, which leaks during periods of heavy rain, must be replaced, adding to the cost of the project.

Despite the cost increase, the City Commission voted last week to pay the Belleair-based Biltmore Construction Co. $4.5 million to carry out the library makeover.

Biltmore will have 396 days from start of construction to complete the work.

The remodeling will be done in phases to keep the library open during construction, said Lana Bullian, library director. This, however, further added to the cost, she said.

At last week's meeting, commissioners approved the site plan for the library expansion. The project will add 4,350 square feet to the north of the existing building and 4,950 square feet to the south for a total of 9,300 square feet.

The 15,000-square-foot interior of the existing library building will be totally remodeled.

Last March the project was estimated to cost about $3.9 million. In October, however, the commission agreed to the $4.5 million revised cost figure.

Equipping the remodeled library with items such as security cameras, an audio-visual system, hurricane shutters and self-checkout equipment pushed up the cost.

Mayor Andy Steingold said the library needs to be expanded because it is an important part of the city. However, he did not want expansion to mean the city had to add full-time library staff, Steingold added.

The remodeling will provide more public areas inside the library by moving staff offices into the proposed northern addition.

The added space will create rooms in which people in the lifelong learning program can be tutored. There will also be a teen area and business resource center inside the main library, Bullian explained.

The design of the remodel library will meld Safety Harbor's quaintness with Barnes & Nobles esthetics, Bullian said. For example, the library will have a rotunda with cafe seating at its entrance.

A larger children's area, meeting room and multipurpose room will be constructed on the south side of the building.

The construction will be one-story, with the southern wing reinforced to allow for a future second floor.

The makeover and expansion will leave the library a one-story structure. The addition on the southern side of the existing building, however, will be reinforced so a second floor could be added at a later date.

A grass parking area will be created at the northwest corner of the library. Landscaping and a fence will be constructed to separate the library from residences to the north of the property.

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