Stone Harbor Branch Library Design Unveiled, Meetings End, Mayor Lauds Efforts of Many

CREST HAVEN – Winston Churchill said decades prior, although not addressing Stone Harbor’s branch library, “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Architect Kevin Settembrino presented renderings to freeholders Feb. 24 of the 10,000-square-foot, 60’ by 110,’ two-story library that will cost $5.2 million.
Witnessing the event in addition to the board: Mayor Suzanne Walters, Council President and Library Commission member Barry Mastrangelo, Administrator Jill Gougher, Library Director Deborah Poillon and Ann Marie McMahon, director, Facilities and Services.
Settembrino gave a brief explanation of the structure that will be located at the site of the former Bank of America branch next to Borough Hall on Second Avenue. It will be 35 feet high, he said. While some sought a third story, that would have exceeded allowed height, he noted.
A hip roof and dormers will be topped by a cupola. The façade resembles flag and cedar siding, but is a composite material with a color guaranteed for 15 years and the product guaranteed for 50 years, Settembrino said. A second floor balcony will face Second Avenue.
“When you walk into the building’s two-story space, you will look up through the cupola. It will give you a little bit of grandness,” Settembrino said.
Floors will be wood-like vinyl, except for entrance, teaching kitchen and restrooms, which will be ceramic tile.
“All interior finishes are warm, like wood,” he said.
Elevation will be just over 2.5 feet above basic flood elevation in order to minimize flood insurance costs, he noted.
Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton announced that, although public comment is not normally allowed during caucus meetings, since borough officials were present, he would permit comment.
Walters thanked the board for its “patience and understanding, this was quite the process.” She was quick to thank Poillon and McMahon, and added, “Without Deb and Ann Marie, many times the wheels came off the bus, but they were able to help. I didn’t think we would get to this day.”
McMahon, desirous to dispel “misinformation” because “the county received a bad rap,” recounted the long process since she assumed the responsibility for the project.
“I started working on this in 2010. It was on the beachfront lot. Garrison was architect and we received CAFRA approvals. A contract was awarded, and the county got sued by the contractor because it retracted the bid,” McMahon said.
To that point, McMahon said $476,000 had been expended, which “is not uncommon when you are incurring architect’s and CAFRA, and engineer’s fees.”
In 2012, attention was focused on lots at Seng Place and the Hand Lot, she said. At that time, the Bank of America building and lot became available, and it was agreed that site would be the library location.
In April, 2013, the county received 15 architectural proposals, and it selected Settembrino’s proposal for a fee of $172,560. The scope of the project was to be for 10,000 square feet for $3 million plus $320,000 for furniture. It was to have a six-month design phase and 18 months for construction.
May 2013 was the kickoff of meetings with borough officials and residents, she said. There were program and design committees manned by volunteers with varying degrees of expertise in library matters.
In total, McMahon said there had been “15 meetings with Stone Harbor folks.” She said in other communities there had been “two or three meetings.”
“We all agree the meetings were somewhat frustrating, and sometimes miscommunications because everyone had different opinions,” McMahon said. Some of those sessions included those who wanted skylights while others did not want them. Others wanted a teaching kitchen, others did not. “We were trying to work through all those, trying to satisfy everyone, that was causing delays,” she said.
Some discounted ideas pitched at those meetings: a glass elevator, a waterfall, a sliding ladder for the wall. While they were rejected, they were “talked through,” she noted.
After “weeding through the wish list,” the cost estimate came back “much higher than $3.32 million. The final design in July 2014 was nearly $5.2 million. I kicked and screamed a little bit, and went back to Kevin (Settembrino). We made compromises. We tried to get to $3 million, but the building didn’t suit any of our needs,” McMahon said.
That’s when the board was approached to permit a higher amount, $4.7 million, with $500,000 for books, computers, etc. $5.2 million was the maximum we could approve, because we had already spent $476,000,” she noted.
With about $1.2 million “already expended on the project, we’re looking at a $6.4 million building. I hope the residents will be happy. They had a lot of input,” McMahon said. “They have a lot of experience. They wanted to be involved in this project.”
Thornton acknowledged that, while there had been 15 meetings between staff and others, he and the mayor had some 20 meetings.
“I like the location a lot. We are all aware how difficult this project has been I want to thank everyone for coming to this point. We will have a facility we will all be proud of,” said Thornton.