Study: Old boro bldg. not usable for library Architects recommend demolition of former police headquarters BY JENNA O'DONNELL Staff Writer ERIC SUCAR staff Architects concluded that the former Tinton Falls municipal building is not a suitable site for the borough's library. TINTON FALLS - The former municipal building is not suitable as a site for the borough's new library, according to a feasibility study of the structure. Funded by a $25,000 grant from the state, the 12-week feasibility study was conducted by Dennis Kowal Architects to determine what the library needs to meet the needs of the borough's expanding population. The study, which is ongoing, looks at the conversion of the former police station portion of the municipal complex, and found that the 1984 structure was not a candidate for reuse as a library. The architects concluded in their report that a new library building should be constructed on the site, if it were to be used. "Basically what the feasibility study said is that the existing building, the old brick police office portion, is the only section that could be used [for the library], and if it is used, we would need to do construction," said Bryan Dempsey, borough business administrator, about the report. The study looked at the brick portion of the former Tinton Falls municipal complex. The amount of construction needed would be excessive, according to the report, which recommends against using the existing building. The architects' suggestion was to demolish the existing structure in order to build a new library on the site. "The site is still viable," said Dempsey, "So once the building comes down and there is a clean slate, the architects] feel that they can fit a library in that location. Yet Dempsey said there are no firm plans to build a library on the site as yet. "There is no guarantee that the library will even be built there, but the building wasn't usable, so it will be demolished," he said. Vacant since May 2007 when the new municipal complex was opened, the twostory brick building was found "not extremely suitable for a modern public library" in the architects' study and "would require modification." According to the architects, most modern libraries require an open floor plan to allow for "line-of-sight supervision of the library for the large public spaces and enclosed rooms for staff, meeting and quiet study." "Other communities with the population of Tinton Falls build libraries of 12,000 to 18,000 square feet," the architects said. The former police station is 6,700 square feet and consists primarily of small, enclosed rooms. Furthermore, the current structure's proximity to traffic is a liability, as the newly created parking lot impedes both of the building's entrances, according to the study. The design of the recently opened municipal complex, which shares a site with the former police station, included modifications to the parking lot that compromise the use of the older building. The architect's study notes "the mainlevel entrance is below the curb height and the upper-level secondary exit is so close to the newly created parking lot that a retaining wall and protection fence will now be required to maintain the embankment to prevent people from falling down the steep drop." Dempsey was authorized by the Borough Council at the November council meeting to begin collecting bids for the demolition of the former police station. "We are seeking proposals now just to see where the range is," Dempsey said. According to Dempsey, if that range is below $29,000, the borough can seek proposals and contractors in what would be a faster process. If the estimate exceeds $29,000, officials will have to go out to bid, which would be more time consuming. "My feeling is it is probably going to be over the $29,000 mark, so we are going to have to go out to bid," said Dempsey. "We still have to do the pay-to-play paperwork." A new library would be a needed replacement, as the current 3,000-square-foot library can no longer accommodate the needs of the town's growing population, which is approaching 20,000.