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On April 10, 2006, the Dexter Village Council (link opens in new window) approved the Library’s request for conditional rezoning of the properties along Alpine Street, where the new Library will be constructed. Conditional rezoning was the first step in getting the Library project underway.
The rezoning changed the designation for these properties from Residential to Central Business District. The change will allow the Library to fully utilize the site for building and parking, presenting fewer setback requirements, allowing greater flexibility situating the building on the land and allowing more options for future needs. The Library remains dedicated to providing the maximum amount of off street parking to serve the needs of Library users.
The Library has been able to secure an option for a third parcel along Alpine Street. The additional property has resulted in the Library’s site growing to just over one acre in total property.
The Library will exercise its options to purchase the properties on Alpine Street during the month of May. Subsequent to officially exercising the options, the Library will begin the title work and arrange closing with the owners, a process that should take no longer than 30 days from the time the options are exercised.
Additionally, the Library’s Facilities Committee has continued working on the functional interior layout of the new facility, refining area adjacencies and interior space allocations to ensure a flexible environment that meets the needs of both members of the public as well as service staff. The Facilities Committee continues refer to the input generated by members of the public during the 2002-2004 planning process in order to ensure the services and amenities desired are included in the new facility.
The Library’s Architectural firm, Holzheimer, Bolek Architects (link opens in new window), are nearing the structural design phase of the building project. In order to provide the best safety margin and to ensure the Library is able to build the best building possible with the funds allocated to the project, the Library Board has determined to hire a construction management firm to assist in value engineering and planning. At press time, interviews for this service have begun and the Board expects to approve hiring a construction management firm at the June Board meeting. In addition to coordinating the site preparation and construction of the new facility, the selected firm will also be responsible for assisting the Library and the architects to understand the cost aspects of the proposed design, evaluate constructability of the new building and help keep the Library on budget.
Parking
To clarify a report that appeared in the Dexter Leader on April 13, 2006, the Library is committed to incorporating the maximum number of off street parking spaces at the new location. Parking issues were frequently cited by the public during the Library’s planning process and the Library Board has emphasized the need for ample parking for Library patrons with the architects, the Facilities Committee and through the Planning and Zoning process. The conditional rezoning process was undertaken in order to allow the Library to develop the Alpine Street properties to their maximum potential. While the Village Council did add the condition that the library would provide the maximum number of off street parking spaces allowed, this was the Library’s intention from the start.
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