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Navarra Library demolition and reconstruction project updated

tabnews August 18, 2024
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MONROE – During a recent work session, the Monroe City Council received an update on plans for a project that would expand the Arthur Lesow Community Center, which houses the Lillian Stewart Navarre Branch library and Opportunity Center. The plan calls for demolishing the library and building a new building for it that would provide better accessibility between library services and the Opportunity Center and would also incorporate the nearby Learning Bank, which is not currently part of the ALCC facility.

According to Woodrow Hoffer of Kohler Architecture, who presented the plans, they were 80% complete and there was talk of putting the project out to bid in September. Demolition of the library is scheduled to begin in November after Election Day, as the library will be used as a polling place.

The project

According to Mark Cochran, the city's director of economic and community development, the project began in 2021 when the city initiated a spatial analysis of the existing ALCC facility to see if it could accommodate the needs of the library and opportunity center. The initial review found an expansion was needed to “improve connectivity and collaboration for efficient delivery of valuable community programs and services.” This included expanding the facility to include the Learning Bank, which was donated to the city in 2023.

Based on this initial analysis and proposal, the City of Monroe received a $7.8 million grant from the State of Michigan to undertake the project.

Councillor’s concerns

At the meeting, Councilwoman Kellie Vining, who also works as a librarian in Navarre, raised concerns about the designs, including the fact that library staff will be housed on the second floor while the rest of the library operations are on the first floor. She feared this would disrupt workflow and make it less efficient; she also worried about bringing food down from the staff kitchen for the meal program (which the Navarre Library runs for local children).

“It’s a big break when you have to keep running up and down,” she said at the meeting.

In addition, she pointed out that the arrangement of chairs around the circulation desk would make it difficult for desk staff to monitor computer usage and ensure that they are not misused.

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In response to Vining's comments, Hoffer said the space available to them was limited by the existing parking lot, the nearby Labor Park and Splash Pad, and Eastchester Street right next to the building, leaving them with limited space for the redesign.

“Without moving any other function of the library to the second floor to accommodate the staff rooms on the ground floor, we felt through our work that although it is inconvenient for staff to have to go to the second floor, the rooms that will house the reference library, youth library and computers on the ground floor, where staff permanently reside, take priority over a staff work area,” he explained.

When asked if the City Council would consider Vining's concerns, Cochran said she and the architect “continue to meet with the leadership of all users of the building to address their concerns and needs as they move toward the final construction design.”

Reactions from the community

The project itself, particularly the demolition of the Navarre Library, received mixed reactions from residents. For example, resident Angela Lantz said she thought it would be beneficial to have the library, Opportunity Center and Learning Bank services in one building. However, others felt the library should be left alone and that its demolition and construction would even be detrimental to the east side of town specifically.

“The library is the only thing our children have left,” said resident Sherman Stine Morrow.

— Contact reporter Connor Veenstra at [email protected]

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