County Officals Talk ‘Library’ with Stone Harbor

STONE HARBOR – Freeholder M. Susan Sheppard, Library Director Deborah Poillon and County Administrator Stephen O’Connor paid Borough Council a visit Tue., Feb. 7 to talk library.
Specifically, Sheppard, liaison to the County Library Commission, told Borough Council there was $6 million set aside for the branch library, wherever the borough may wish it to be built. Last month, council named a site search committee to seek a location amenable to residents since the proposed site, at the 95th Street municipal parking lot, stalled too long due to a regulation change by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Sheppard said there was an economic impact on the county system should the borough depart, an idea some residents have entertained as they look four miles north to neighboring Avalon, which has its own library. That borough and Ocean City are the only municipalities that are not members of the county library system. County officials hope by biding time, locals here will decide on a new location and opt to let the county build and operate the facility.
Sheppard noted the borough pays $1.3 million annually in library tax into the county system. If the borough were to build its own library, she said, state law mandates that the library tax be assessed which would be about $1.47 million annually. Thus, she pointed out, there was an immediate savings of $170,000, “based on law,” she noted.
Additionally, she said if the borough decided to go on its own, it would still be mandated to pay the county library tax for two years after a November referendum.
For an additional eight years, a borough-run library would not be allowed to use its funds for any other purpose than the library, Sheppard said.
Sheppard, who was a member of Ocean City’s Library Board, reminded council that, if it remains in the county system, the library commission would pay for the new facility “designed by you and located where you want with $6 million allocated.
“The county is willing to work with the (site selection) committee and council on placement and design,” said Sheppard.
She pointed to “an abundance of resources, over 400,000 service items and 2,000 programs (annually) as part of the county library system. Several times she stressed “economies of scale” that allows the county system to purchase more books and other items at a lower cost.
Additionally, said Sheppard, the county library system has “state of the art technology, wireless Internet and many downloadable e-Books.”
She noted the “vibrant countywide system for all residents of Cape May County.”
Size wise, Sheppard said the borough’s branch was to have been 14,000 square feet. Avalon’s library, she said, “is about 9,000 square feet, so we do know they have limited programming and not as many computers. Ocean City is 22,000 square feet, a lecture hall and an abundance of computers. Sea Isle City is 14,000 square feet with ample computer areas. Go and see how beautiful it is.”
Stone Harbor’s library was to be “consistent with the size of Sea Isle City, but we will work with whatever you want to have,” said Sheppard.
While the library will start with $6 million, “If you need more, I am quite sure you can get it,” she said.
“I am a firm believer, even in the days when I was on the Ocean City library board, that a library is a community’s living room. You wouldn’t believe it, but when I said “Put a coffee bar in, they laughed at me,” Sheppard said. Now there is also a child care facility there. It has become a very popular attraction, she said.
“The place is rocking. It is crowded constantly with people. It is really like a general store, where people share news, especially in the winter it is a great gathering place for the community. So consider our offer,” said Sheppard.
“We will be happy to build a $6-million library for Stone Harbor,” concluded Sheppard.
Questions followed.
Bernadette Parzych asked Sheppard about the Ocean City Library. “It was never a member of the county system. Ocean City was founded before the county library even was,” said Sheppard.
Parzych cited the $1.3 million paid annually into the county system, and said by the end of eight years, the borough would have $10.4 million. If the borough paid the $6 million to construct a library of its own, “We would still have a lot of money left over,” said Parzych.
Parzych then focused on programming in the county system. There was not that much at branches, she said.
“I might disagree,” said Sheppard, who vowed Stone Harbor would “have awesome programming.”
With a larger facility there would be more programming, said O’Connor.
“Sea Isle City and Wildwood Crest will have more programming,” Sheppard said, and acknowledged that the “main programming is the Middle Township (Court House) branch. If you had the facilities, you would have programming.”
“There is talk of the option of joining Avalon,” said Parzych. “How would that work as far as money is concerned?”
Mayor Suzanne Walters said she “heard we can’t merge with Avalon because it was established as a municipal, not a regional library.”
Sheppard acknowledged “a lot of confusion” over that question. She said a call was made to Trenton about shared services, if it could be done.
“It was more complicated than saying joining,” she said.
Walters stressed that the voters would have to make such a decision in a referendum and that mayor and council could not make such a decision.
“I want to assure Bunny Parzych that one of my big concerns is programs,” said Council President Joan Kramar. She hopes there will be more cultural programs.
While Sheppard cited some of the programs at the main branch in Court House, such a cooking and visiting authors, Parzych said she had not seen those listed on the website.
“We could do a better job of getting the information out,” Sheppard acknowledged. Parzych said Ocean City and Avalon libraries “get the most press.” She said they seem the “most popular and they are not in the county system.”
“The county is just as good,” she added.
Councilmember Karen Lane said she had talked with Poillon about the “lack of emails going to clients of the library.” She noted that she used the library “heavily” yet gets notifications via e-mail only when those books are due. “What I get from Avalon is five pages of information of the programs they are having. When we have our new library that needs to be improved,” Lane said.
Asked about the size of the collection in the proposed library, Poillon responded that Sea Isle City has about 28,000 books “and you have less than 10,000.” The branch is located in a first-floor room of Borough Hall.
Told that Avalon library operates with seven employees and asked about the staff, Poillon said there would be more paid by the county library budget.
Councilmember Rich updated peers and public on the site search committee. She said the group will hold its third meeting. “We are trying to get as much information as possible.” Rich added the group is beginning anew and starting over.
“I feel confident at this point, no matter where the building is located, it’s going to be an incredible design,” said Rich.