Officials at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library have hired an architect tasked with estimating the cost of a proposed library branch on the north side of the village.
Jason Kuhl, the library’s executive director, said officials have hired the firm Product Architecture + Design – the same firm that was hired for the 2012 renovation of the adult public library space, as well as the 2010 renovation of Kids’ World.
The firm, which will be paid $5,000 for its services, will estimate the cost to renovate a facility to accommodate the proposed branch, as the financial impact of a branch is necessary to ascertain before officials can move ahead with the project’s approval, Kuhl said.
“We’ve not yet officially approved the idea of a branch, but I’m extremely interested in knowing what this means for potential staffing, and also at the same time, what will be re-allocated internally to support this,” Library Trustee David Unumb said.
Trustee Greg Zyck agreed, saying while the proposed branch has not yet been approved by the board, “going forward, we can’t approve this until we know what the cost is.”
Earlier this year, officials said an increase in demand for services from an influx of young families in the village has prompted them to consider opening a library branch on the north side of town in the near future.
Meanwhile, library officials announced Tuesday that the board has received a total of 21 applications from local residents who are interested in being appointed to a mid-term vacancy on the board of trustees.
The vacancy is the result of the June 30 resignation of longtime Trustee Kerry W. Pearson, who was honored for his service at a recent library board meeting.
Pearson was first elected to the seven-member board in April 2003, and after serving two consecutive 6-year terms, was re-elected to a third term in 2015, which ends April 30, 2021, officials said.
After serving as the library board’s treasurer, Pearson also once served as board president, officials said.
The board will now narrow down the applicant field to five final candidates, each of whom will be interviewed by the board for the position, which is unpaid, officials said.
The resident selected for the post will be appointed to serve beginning later this summer through April 2017, officials said.
Officials said they prefer to appoint a trustee who is considering running for the board in the general election in the spring of 2017, which would come with a four-year term beginning in May 2017.
With several of the interested candidates in attendance at Tuesday night’s library board meeting, board president Debbie Smart expressed enthusiasm at the abundance of community interest in the position.
“We appreciate everyone who has applied, but they should know that our meetings usually last a lot longer, so don’t get any false hopes that you’ll get out of here by 8 p.m.,” Smart added.
kcullotta@tribpub.com
Twitter: @kcullotta
