ROCKPORT, Maine — Residents could get to decide in November whether to help pay for construction of a new two-story library with a rooftop patio and garden that has a view of the harbor.
Plans for the new library were unveiled Wednesday night at the Rockport Opera House.
The cost of constructing the new building, along with equipment and furniture for the library, is estimated at nearly $4 million. An additional $303,000 would be needed to reconstruct the intersection where the library would be constructed and another $121,000 would be necessary for upgrades to the adjacent Memorial Park.
Library committee member Eric Denny said the panel will issue a recommendation to the Select Board by Aug. 8 on either the option with a rooftop garden or without, as well as specifics on the exterior of the building. The proposal currently is for a combination limerock-washed brick and clapboard exterior.
The difference in the cost between the plan with a rooftop garden and one without is $150,000.
The committee worked to develop a library that fits within the village’s architectural context and that would serve the community’s needs for the next 25 to 50 years, Denny said. He also encouraged residents to offer their comments on the plans. Comments can be emailed to libraryplanning@town.rockport.me.us or submitted in person at the library or at library committee meetings.
A separate committee has been formed to raise private money for the building, which would have 9,360 square feet of floor space total over the two floors. The amount that the town would ask residents to approve borrowing for the project at referendum has not been decided.
The fundraising committee said the state transportation department may help pay for the reconstruction of the intersection.
The town currently has a two-year lease for space on Route 1 for the library. The town moved to that location in December after determining that the former 3,300-square-foot library in the village was in poor condition. The town has an option to lease the property for additional years if needed.
The Select Board created a library planning committee late last year to plan for a new facility. The town has debated the issue of whether to build a new library and where it should be located for the past several years.
Denny said the committee agreed that the new library should have room for growth. Both proposals would allow for the addition of a third floor, although it would be easier with the plan that includes a rooftop patio.
The plan addresses the lack of parking that the former village library had by redesigning the intersection and making the section of Limerock Street abutting Memorial Park be one-way with the entrance from Russell Street.
Library Director Benjamin Blackmon expressed excitement about the plan.
“I am really excited. This is a library that will let us do our job well,” he said.
The space will allow for a 30 percent increase in the collections, Blackmon said.