Money sought to make Winfeld's library accessible

Three years after Winfield voters overwhelmingly rejected a tax-increase referendum request that would have funded a new library, they are being asked to pay for improvements to the existing building.

Winfield Public Library officials say the facility at 0S291 Winfield Road simply doesn't meet Americans With Disability Act requirements. So they are seeking voter approval to borrow $1.8 million to improve its handicapped accessibility and help alleviate crowding.

"We've outgrown the space, but that's not the main focus of the project right now," library Director Matthew Suddarth said. "The project is to make the building accessible."

The library, which opened in 1981, doesn't have an elevator. The restroom facilities also are difficult for people with disabilities to use.

Even the long outside ramp to the main level doesn't meet current standards because the slope is too steep, officials say.

"Everybody who lives in the community should be able to use their library," Suddarth said. "If one person can't, that's not acceptable."

If voters on April 7 approve the tax request, the owner of a $300,000 home would pay $38 more per year to the library. This year, that same homeowner will pay roughly $168 in property taxes to the library.

Officials said the 20-year bond issue would be set up so the amount homeowners pay the first year won't change in subsequent years - even if the value of their homes increase.

"The amount they are paying toward regular taxes may increase or decrease depending on the value of their home," Suddarth said, "but the amount they pay for the bond issue would stay the same."

Library Trustee Cindy Keck said the plan is to make the library "accessible to everyone in the community at a minimal cost."

"It only seems right to me that everyone who is already paying their fair share for the library should be able to use it," said Keck, who also is a member of the group campaigning on behalf of measure.

If the construction project becomes a reality, an addition with a new entrance would be created on the building's lower level. It would have an elevator, staircase and handicapped-accessible bathrooms.

Some of the library's space needs would be addressed.

An estimated $350,000 to $400,000 of the project would be used to build a roughly 1,300-square-foot addition on the north side of the library. It would accommodate the renovation and help alleviate the overcrowded condition of the existing building, officials said.

If approved, the work will take about a year to complete. It hasn't been determined whether library operations would stay at the current location during construction or temporarily move into another building.

For more information about the proposal, visit the library's Web site at winfield.lib.il.us/winfield/.