Courtesy Scarborough Public Library

SCARBOROUGH —The Scarborough Public Library had a budget discussion with the Town Council Finance Committee on Tuesday.  

At the April 19 Finance Committee meeting for the FY23 budget review, Library Director Nancy Crowell and Board of Trustees President Bill Donovan discussed the plans for the library expansion being shared with the community in anticipation of a bond request in November 2022.  

The library’s budget review reflects normal operations through June 2023 and enhanced virtual information and programming skills that were developed during the pandemic. Library Directory Nancy Crowell said the library discovered during the pandemic there was a strong response to offering information and programming  virtually and will continue to offer more of virtual programs in the future.  

“We had a budget discussion with the Town Council Finance Committee on Tuesday. We did answer questions about the building project,” said Nancy Crowell, Library Director. “The library is resuming in-person services. It has been quite a hall for all of us and it is a great feeling seeing people in the building with and without masks, but we are resuming in-person programs and outreach services. Our budget reflects what in quotes could be declared a normal year. We are back to full service in terms of programming, staffing, collections, everything we were able to do three years ago was back in the cycle.  

Increased budget drivers for the library include utilities including gas and electric, building repairs increasing with building age, and income loss off Payroll Protection Program   

“I am very pleased to mention that we do have another buffer this year,” Crowell said. “We were fortunate in the last several years to receive a grant from the Payroll Protection Program and that is cycled out now, but we did receive an employee retention credit which is part of the federal programming available to us and that became available to us later in the cycle of the CARES act when they made it available to institutions it also (applied to) part-time staff members. As a result, we have $157,000 almost $158,000 that we are receiving literally as we speak. We got the first two of four checks within the last week, and we are going to be applying that credit to this coming year’s budget. That’s really important because the PPP created an artificial income stream and having one more year buffer source is really going to be valuable to us.”  

Crowell said that the library has been responding to the community’s needs and has had the highest overall satisfaction level of all categories in the Community Survey which was distributed to resident’s last fall. The areas in which the library received a lower satisfaction were related to space constraints and programs specific to age groups. These issues are being addressed in the building expansion plan.  

The library expansion CIP request is set for $13 million. A bond question requesting that amount, proposed to be on the November ballot, would if approved cover construction, fees, and administrative costs. The bond interest has not been added to the estimate.  

“I did put two numbers in the capital improvements budget based upon the years that those expenditures would occur together they equal about $13 million. It will be one request of the council to allow us to go to bond in November for a $13 million bond,” Crowell said.   

If the bond referendum passes in November 2022, the library is projected to move into a temporary space during construction. Construction would begin in fall 2023. Added temporary relocation costs will be paid through private fundraising.   

Plans to expand the library have been in the works for over 15 years. The library is looking to accommodate Scarborough’s growing community which means more space and new services. The proposed addition would supply an added floor and 22,000 square feet to the building’s footprint. The expansion would allow the library to have more reading nooks, meeting spaces, an upgraded computer lab, activity space for young and seniors, plus much more.  

The library will be meeting with the Finance Committee again on May 10 when the expansion and Capital Improvements will be the focus of discussion.