From the Suggestion Box: Workmans' vehicles in the parking lot

This was in the suggestion box recently:

"It would be nice if outside vendors, such as Inland Steel trucks, Windows & Siding, could park in the back lot or on street and leave front parking for patrons & visitors, elderly & small children."

I completely understand and concur with the sentiment: in a perfect world, we would always leave the closest parking spaces for the patrons, particularly for the elderly and parents with small children. However, the Library staff are doing the best they can with what we have.

In general, outside vendor vehicles are parked in staff spaces - most frequently those directly adjacent to the staff entrance on the side of the building. Remember - there is no loading dock or service entrance on this building, only the staff and main entrances. One of the reasons that the staff spaces extend as far as they do is to be able to utilize the nearest spaces for loading and vendors.

Second, the back lot, regardless or whether you are referring to the Illinois Street or Route 59 lots, do not belong to the Library. We cannot designate Library parking in either lot. This summer, the Library is contracted to purchase the Route 59 parking lot from the Village, allowing the Library to designate spaces for staff.

Lastly, Inland Steel has not done work for the Library in the past year, nor have we had windows or siding replaced. The Library does request vendors doing work for the Library park in designated spaces. The roofing contractors used staff spaces during their project. Keep in mind that the Library is a public building - and people who drive work trucks use it too.

I understand that the parking at the Library is not ideal. We're doing the best we can with what we have.

Roof Replacement Project to Begin Tuesday, November 10!

Tomorrow is the day!



The roof replacement project is slated to begin. You will not be able to view the actual work being done, as it is the interior pitched and flat roof being replaced. These are not visible from ground level. During the project, the parking spaces closest to the building will not be available for use, with the exception of the two handicapped spaces. A project dumpster will be located on the closed spaces, as well as providing space for the crane that will be needed to move the roofing material on the flat portion of the roof.



One recent question I received regarding the roof replacement project is that the building is just under 20 years old - and shingle should last 25 years. That is true. However, a significant portion of the Library's roof is flat. It can be seen in aerial views of the Library, such as satellite images of the downtown area. Housed on this flat area are the four HVAC units that cool the Library building, which is why it is screened from view. Expected to last 15-20 years, this flat roof is just shy of its 19th birthday, installed in late 1990.



Given the lovely weather we've been experiencing, we hope that the project will be complete in approximately five working days.



Apologies in advance for any inconvenience caused by the project. Your patience and cooperation is appreciated!

The Parking Question

There's been a lot of speculation recently about the concept plans for the northwest corner of Lockport Street and Route 59. That corner lot is adjacent to the Route 59 parking lot, currently owned by the Village and contracted for purchase by the Library next year. Which brings us to the issue of parking.

Parking is a pivotal issue for any business in the downtown and particularly so for the Library.
The way the Village ordinances allow businesses to count parking in the downtown, all parking within 150' of the business' front door is counted, regardless of who owns it. This means that the spaces in the Route 59 parking lot could conceivably be counted by the proposed new office building on the corner, the Library, Plymouth Congregational Church, Baci, Tawny Tortoise - every business along Lockport Street. The point is, one parking space counted as parking for half a dozen different businesses is still a single parking space. The pressure on the downtown parking lots is increased as Library use continues to grow - averaging 10% more visits each year for the last five.

With the acquisition of the Route 59 parking lot, the Library will own a majority of the parking on the block. Being good neighbors is of utmost importance to the Library Board. The Library's parking lots will remain public for the foreseeable future, with the exception of designating some staff spaces. The Library will work with the Village and our neighbors to ensure that any changes to the parking lots balance the needs of the Library, the needs of our neighbors, and the commitment of the Village to provide public parking. That balance is not easy, or simple to achieve. But the Library Board's mantra is to be good stewards of the taxpayers' dollars and do the best we can with what we have. Finding that perfect solution may take some time, but I am confident that we can work together to get there.

Question of the Day: Can staff parking be moved further away so there are more spaces closer to the building for patrons?

This question is more to do with today's configuration than the expansion plan, but I wanted to address it here. Today, the Library only owns the "little lot" up to the hedge to the north of the library. The larger parking lot just to the north of it is owned by the Village of Plainfield. Eleven spaces, or about 1/3 of the Library-owned lot is designated for the 55 staff members of the Library. Because there is no loading dock or service entrance, the staff entrance on the north side of the building and the spaces near it, are the loading area for Library use.

In the expansion, a loading dock and service entrance would be added, removing this from the main parking area. Also, the staff entrance for the downtown Library will be on the Illlinois Street side of the building, while the main patron entrance would face Route 59 and the expanded Route 59 lot. The Library is contracted to purchase the Route 59 parking lot from the Village in 2010, which would allow for the creation of staff spaces in that lot.