New library stacks up support, donors

Pledges and gifts already collected and survey results indicate funding from private sources will pour in.

By TERRI D. REEVES
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 25, 2002

LARGO -- Although a fundraising campaign won't begin until late spring 2003, about $200,000 in private gifts and pledges have been received for the city's new library.

Indications are more donations soon will be rolling in.

The city has budgeted about $19-million for the $21-million library, using Penny for Pinellas tax and state and federal grants. That leaves about $2-million that is expected to come from private donations. That should not be a problem, according to a recent fundraising survey.

Fifty people who were in a position to give or who could influence giving were interviewed to measure their level of support and enthusiasm for the project, said Michele D'Avico, capital campaign manager for the Largo Library.

"Although the economy was a factor for concern, the report showed a large amount of support and enthusiasm," D'Avico said.

Margaret Talach, an accountant and member of the finance board for the city, is a strong supporter of the 90,300-square-foot structure planned for Largo Central Park.

"I fought for it tooth and nail," she said. "My grandson went to the Largo library every day after high school to do his homework, and it had everything he needed. . . . But it is overcrowded and getting somewhat outdated. This city is growing in the right way and needs a library to go with it."

She persuaded her employer, Silver Queen -- Belleair Coins, to make a $1,000 donation.

Groundbreaking is planned for late spring or early summer 2003, and the library is expected to be completed in late 2004 or early 2005. Collman & Karsky Associates of Dunedin is the architectural firm designing the building in cooperation with the Leo A. Daly design firm of Omaha, Neb.

Richard Pritts, vice president of Collman & Karsky Associates, said the designers took their cues from the surrounding community.

"We came up with a design that represents Largo's culture and touches on its past and takes it toward the future," he said.

The two-story library will have a stucco exterior, high-pitched metal roof, porches and many windows to take advantage of the natural light and views of the surrounding forest. The grand oak trees have been worked into the design.

A 50-foot tower will identify the building from a distance. It will be lighted at night.

Children and adults will have pavilions with outdoor views, and teens will be able to listen to music. A courtyard will feature a gazebo and fountain. There will also be a wing for special programs.

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