City to take a hard look at its aging library

Port Washington officials will take an in-depth look at the condition of the Niederkorn Library to determine what needs to be done to the aging structure.

The Common Council on Tuesday hired Plunkett Raysich Architects to conduct a $9,000 study of the physical condition of the library and its mechanical systems, identifying areas that need immediate repair and maintenance.

“The goal is to really find out how are the bones of the building,” Library Director Tom Carson said. “Nothing has really been done for 20 years. In order for us to be a relevant, successful library, we’re going to have to make some changes.”

It was one of those changes — a proposal to create a dedicated children’s bathroom for the children’s library — that prompted the study.

The Finance and License Committee was reviewing the plan during budget discussions when members talked about how this fit into the long-term plans for the library, City Administrator Tony Brown said.

“Instead of spending money on that, they thought it would be better to look at the whole facility and what it needs,” he said.

“We need to determine what is it going to take to make some improvements that are necessary.”

The library was built in the 1960s, with an addition constructed in 2002, Carson said, adding, “Libraries are very different now than they were 20 years ago. We’re not just books. We need a strong digital footprint. There are some things we can’t do because of the building.”

The library needs such things as study areas and conference rooms, he said, as well as outlets for the electronic devices common today.

The library will also need a new roof soon, Carson said.

The study, which will look at structural items rather than programming, “is the first step. It’s going to be a while before we can make any major changes,” he said.

The report, Carson said, will lay out a blueprint for the future.

“We’re a well-used library,” he said. “I want to see us update the library to meet the needs of the city today and into the future.”

Carson said it will take about two months to get the report from Plunkett Raysich Architects.

“Then we’re going to have to start thinking,” he said. “With this, we can decide what’s the real direction, where should we be going. We have to deal with the building reality.”

The study will be paid for through the city’s capital budget, and any renovations would likely be funded through a combination of borrowed and donated funds, Carson said.

“There’s still a lot of planning to do,” he said.

The library has been working to establish a foundation that would help finance everything from technology improvements to increased programming, but Carson said it still needs to raise another $25,000 to establish itself.

Covid-19 has slowed fundraising for the group, he said, adding he hopes to raise the additional funds for the foundation next year.