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Council approves Fair Haven library renovation after trustees report $100,000 in community fundraising
Summary
After a months‑long fundraising push by the Friends of the Fair Haven Library, the council voted to proceed with a library renovation that will replace shelving, flooring and HVAC; trustees say private donations covered furnishings and staff described a roughly $141,000 construction estimate.
Chair called the June 8 meeting of the Fair Haven Borough Council to order and, after a presentation from the library trustees, the council voted to move forward with the library renovation project.
Alan McGee, president of the board of trustees for the Friends of the Fair Haven Library, told the council the volunteer fundraising effort raised more than $100,000 in the past eight to nine months and that the group’s initial goal—funding new furnishings—has been met. "We have raised over a $100,000 in the last 8 months, 9 months," McGee said, describing community donations and outreach at farmers markets and holidays.
Library staff and borough project managers then outlined the non‑furnishings scope of the work. Rich Gardella, who led the facilities presentation, described removing shelving and the circulation desk, replacing acoustic ceiling tiles, installing luxury vinyl tile flooring, upgrading electrical and IT, and replacing an aging HVAC system. Gardella summarized the line‑item placeholders presented to the council: painting about $12,500; LVT flooring about $21,000; ceiling tiles about $10,500; HVAC roughly $50,000; electrical and IT placeholders of about $15,000 and $10,000 respectively; a $7,500 allowance for miscellaneous costs; and a 10% contingency that placed the estimate just north of $141,000.
Gardella said staff plan to act as project manager and use cooperative‑pricing vendors experienced with schools and libraries so the borough can avoid hiring a separate architect. He added the project team is pursuing utility and lighting rebates and an incentive from JCP&L that could lower net costs for the HVAC replacement.
Council members thanked the trustees and volunteers for the fundraising and for keeping taxpayer exposure low. After a motion and second, the council took a roll‑call vote and approved proceeding with the renovation as presented; staff will return with purchase authorizations and the resolution needed to cut purchase orders.
The presentation also covered logistics: books will be boxed and staged in an on‑site reading room with overflow stored short‑term in Bicentennial Hall so programs such as Tuesday story time, knitting and book clubs can continue at alternate borough locations during construction. Staff estimated contractor schedules would likely place construction in the late summer or early fall, with furniture lead times of roughly six to eight weeks after order placement.
The council’s vote authorizes staff to continue procurement and to bring a resolution to the next meeting that will certify funding sources. The library’s trustees said they will continue fundraising for any remaining items and to support community programming during renovation.
The council meeting adjourned after completing other agenda items.
