The Morton Grove Public Library Director Debra Stombres told the library board that the building renovations should be finished sometime in April – with the grand opening planned for May.
Since September 2014, most of the library has been closed off to the public as contractors have been working to renovate the building. The project was a combination of what was originally planned as three separate projects – the roof repair, asbestos abatement and remodeling of interior spaces. The library felt that doing those projects at the same time would reduce overall costs and reduce the amount of time the portions of the library would need to be closed.
The plans call for substantial remodeling of the main floor and the second floor mezzanine area. The renovations include creations of a teen room, the new media lab, the relocation of the periodicals/study area closer to the east entrance, the expanded non-fiction section on the west side of the library and the new computer area.
During the Feb. 12 Morton Grove Public Library board meeting, Stombres updated the board on the status of the renovations. She said that the project is currently $15,000 under budget. The library also had $83,000 left over in a $100,000 contingency fund created to cover unexpected expenses. When the village mandated some additional work on library bathrooms, the library had enough money to fund it and still plenty left over for any other unexpected expenses.
Stombres said that, over the next few weeks, the contractors will be working on the mezzanine area, adding carpeting and installing sprinklers. Once the sprinklers are installed, the contractors will start working on drywall.
Stombres said that she couldn’t give a more exact reopening date at this point. The opening date will depend on factors that neither the library nor contractors can always control, such as delivery of certain materials.
Stombres told the board that, no matter when the renovations actually finish, the grand reopening celebration date has already been set for May 15. The reopening celebration will run from 4 – 8 p.m., with ribbon-cutting taking place at 6:00 p.m.
“There’s going to be music and crafts,” said Stombres. “Later in the evening, there will be a concert. It’s going to be fun, so mark your calendars!”
Igor Studenkov is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.