News

Madison weighs in on library

Community members review design proposals; city still lacks funding for project

Members of the Madison community weighed in on the reconstruction of the Madison Central Library at a forum hosted by Capitol Neighborhoods Inc. Wednesday night.

The meeting featured the designers of the three library proposals — Fiore Companies and Irgens Development Group, T. Wall Properties and Hammel, Green and Abrahamson Inc. — who discussed their plans to improve the central library and listened to citizens’ questions and concerns.

Since the forum did not produce a clear frontrunner proposal, members of the Central Library Disposal Surplus Property Criteria and Selection Committee are left to further deliberate plans at their meeting next Wednesday.

At the meeting Tom McHugh, a Madison resident and architect, spoke in favor of the Fiore Companies and Irgens Development Group proposal.

“From an architectural standpoint I think it is a more appropriate building, a gateway to the Capitol,” McHugh said. “The [T. Wall Properties proposal] to me looks like an aquarium with a crown on top. I don’t relate to it at all.”

However, McHugh said the library committee should still consider the community’s suggestions and host more forums to increase the community voice.

Peter Cannon, program chair of the Madison Audubon Society, said flexibility is the key word when considering the library proposals.

“I don’t know what a library of the 21st century looks like, and I hope [the new library] stands in 50 years,” Cannon said.

Library director Barbara Dimick said when she first became involved with the library several years ago, staff called the library “The Information Place.” However with new technology and Google, the library is no longer the go-to place for research.

“One of the reasons why we’re here and talking about a new library is because we cannot function well anymore with the resources we have,” she said.

However, rounding up the money to fund the prospective libraries poses a problem.

Rich Chandler, vice president of the Madison Public Library Foundation Board, said the library hosts an annual campaign to raise money for grants for projects like this. But due to the current state of the economy, fundraising is more difficult.

Chandler added the Madison Children’s Museum and the Chazen Museum of Art are currently holding fundraisers to raise money for the prospective library.

If the economy stabilizes, campaigning of this magnitude would be more substantial and the project would probably be able to find a lead donor, Chandler said.

“The bottom line is we feel we could raise up to $10 million for this campaign with a multi-year campaign,” Chandler said.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, a member of the library commission, said the decision regarding which library design to choose will be very tough.

“The main question for us is do we go with the fiscally expedient approach in these tough economic times and go with the renovation … or do we make a decision for future generations and pick one of the other proposals that will stand the test of time?” Verveer asked.