is looking for community feedback on proposed renovation plans for the library building.
Baldwin is looking at several options for expanding or renovating the library building located downtown near and .
According to , the library is looking to either expand the building's footprint by 42 percent or renovate the entire building.
The last comprehensive renovation of Baldwin happened 30 years ago and estimated costs range from $3 million to $10 million.
Since that presentation to the Birmingham City Commission, Library Director Doug Koschik has worked with the city to form a joint committee charged with investigating renovation plans and soliciting feedback from the communities Baldwin serves, including: Birmingham, Beverly Hills and Bloomfield Hills.
So far, the committee has held one meeting but according to City Commissioner Rackeline Hoff, they need more input.
"The community input session was disappointing in the number of people who showed up," said City Commissioner Gordon Rinschler. "That's troublesome times in mid-summer."
In a Patch poll, 34 percent of readers said they would rather Baldwin renovate the library building, while 28 percent said to expand.
Community members can currently fill out a survey on www.baldwinlib.org to help the committee and library administration decide in which direction to head next. Questions ask about:
- How often you visit the library
- The average length of your visit
- Your favorite, and least favorite, aspects of the library building
- Comments on the building's interior and exterior
- Your top priorities for a renovation or expansion
- What you like about other libraries in the other
The next meeting of the joint library building committee will be at 9:30 a.m. July 10 in the library's board room.
