Pike library board approves move

Public meeting slated for June 29

By TOM KANE

MILFORD, PA — The Pike County Public Library (PCPL) board has agreed to enter into a discussion with the Biondo Foundation for the purpose of purchasing the Biondo building at 221 Broad Street as the location for the new Milford library.

The site committee reached its unanimous recommendation following six months of review on five possible options.

A condition of the Dorothy Warner gift of $1 million was that any new building be located within Milford Borough.

“The Biondo building offers the most useful library space for the least money,” said Rebecca Lindsey, chair of the site committee. “Besides the private donations that we have raised, our main sources of funds are two state grants that we must use by next year if we are going to use them at all.”

The Biondo building would provide the PCPL with about 9,000 square feet of usable space, versus 2,500 in the current Milford building owned by the Community House.

“Inspections to date have confirmed that the HVAC, septic, and elevator systems are in good shape,” Lindsey said.

Parking is available for five handicapped/senior citizens at the rear of the property, and on a separate lot there is space to park 24 cars, which is part of the property offered, she said.

The PCPL’s site committee has obtained detailed cost estimates for each element of the renovations expected to be needed at the building, and has had preliminary floor plans drawn showing how the interior space could be divided into each of the necessary project spaces identified by the PCPL’s professional library planning consultant, she said.

Meetings with the borough’s zoning officer, Bob DiLorenzo, revealed that there were no major zoning or septic issues with the building.

While a new Milford library is next, the PCPL is committed to expanding services as quickly as possible to other parts of Pike County, according to a press release on the subject.

“The site committee recognizes that the Biondo building will not make a perfect library; however, the masonry is low maintenance, relatively new, in good condition and easy to renovate,” Lindsey said. “The committee strongly believes that the PCPL board should proceed to execute a contract for the purchase of the building, contingent on a building inspection, obtaining necessary permits and obtaining sufficient grant funding to complete the project, debt free and with adequate reserves to pay the increase in operating costs for the first two years.”

Any member of the public interested in walking through the building is welcome, she said.

The PCPL will also host a public meeting on Tuesday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m. at the county court house for the purpose of hearing questions, or to provide input, and hear a short presentation about the basis for the site committee’s recommendation.