Southwest County Regional library closing for renovations; new branch library to open

By STEVEN BERGER
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 13, 2009

West Boca Raton residents looking to check out a book will have to check into a new library.

On Sunday, the Southwest County Regional library, 20101 95th Avenue South, will be closed for renovations for six to eight months.
The book drop will stay open until Friday, when the brand new West Boca Branch, 18685 State Road 7, opens at 9:30 a.m. The renovations are part of the $55 million bond issue county voters approved in 2002.

The original $70 million estimate to complete all projects proposed in the bond issue has ballooned to more than $130 million, but the only project that has been shelved is the construction of a new main library, said county Library Director John Callahan. Still, circulation has increased by 40 percent in the last 27 months, and the weak economy has lowered contracting costs, he said.

"In a sense, it's a good time to complete these projects," he said.

Evelyn Silverman has used the Southwest County Regional library since it opened in 1975.

"I'm an avid reader so I need books constantly," the Boca Raton resident said, estimating she goes through six to eight a week.

For her, the closure's impact only lasts five days. The new library is about a mile closer to her home, she said.

The renovations to the Southwest County Regional library previously were not scheduled to begin until June, but the county library's expansion plan must remain flexible, said Community Relations Manager Nicole Hughes.

"As soon as we get one that we can go ahead with, we try and get in there right as soon as we can," she said.

The closure helps lower costs. Employees from the Southwest County Regional library are transferred to the new branch, and so no new workers are needed until renovations are completed, Callahan said.

The library system's expansion includes a number of efforts to increase long-term sustainability. Typical renovations to the county's libraries include installing more efficient air conditioning and lighting units, Callahan said.

More than half of the libraries should have an automated return sorting system in place by the end of the year that would allow librarians to handle increasing demand without additional work, he said.

Any other number of factors can also influence the expansion plan's development.

The Loula V. York Branch in Pahokee was not scheduled for renovations until Hurricane Wilma rolled through town, Hughes said.

The North County Regional library's expansion would have started last November, the project needs a permit and any construction is off-limits until gopher tortoises are transported off the property, she said.