Crystal Lake library project not on April ballot

CRYSTAL LAKE Plans to build a new public library will not come before Crystal Lake voters this spring.

Tuesday was the deadline for government boards to pass resolutions putting referenda on the April ballot.

All the pieces are not yet in place to present a plan to the public for consideration," Library Director Kathryn Martens said in an email Thursday.

Library officials are leaning toward constructing a new building on its current location, a project that would cost about $30 million depending on the direction the board heads, after considering 24 locations laid out in a 228-page site assessment report issued in 2013.

The report looked at rebuilding on the current site, renovating either the old Wal-Mart and Garden Fresh stores on Northwest Highway, building next to the Dole Mansion or being on the west side of Three Oaks Recreation Area near the lake.

The former Wal-Mart and Garden Fresh locations topped the report's recommendations but were ultimately "deemed to be fatally flawed" because they did not meet the criteria for the highest and best use of the land and would remove real estate from the commercial market and also remove the revenue opportunities," including sales and property taxes, Martens has said.

Mixed-use proposals for two locations along South Main Street also were eventually nixed, one because the site was too slow when the shoreline was taken into consideration and the other because a sale price couldn't be negotiated.

If the board does ultimately decide to stick with its current location, all options are on the table, Martens said. Its members are looking at a parking garage and purchasing additional property, whatever is the most cost-effective approach in terms of both construction and long-term operations.

The library has operated out of its current location since 1952, though the oldest part of the structure dates to 1965. Additions were constructed in 1984 and 1995.

While a 2007 space assessment and reconfiguration bought library officials more time, there are structural problems with the building, in particular the soil density underneath the eastern side of the building where the administrative offices are housed, Martens said. Many elements of the building are also at the end of their life.

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Crystal Lake library project not on April ballot