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County okays Floral City library

By CATHERINE E. SCOICHET
Published March 28, 2007

INVERNESS - County commissioners unanimously approved plans Tuesday for a new, $1.2-million library in Floral City.

Architects will design the 4,000-square-foot building to resemble a house, library director Flossie Benton-Rogers said, emphasizing the area's "charm and character."

Crews will break ground in December and the library will open in January 2009, she said.

During the roughly yearlong construction period, the library will temporarily move to the nearby old Floral City fire station.

Renovating a 924-square-foot garage space there, assistant library services director Eric Head said, will cost $14,958.

The $1.5-million project also includes $130,000 to build a new parking lot behind the library and $212,170 in park impact fees to build a linear park beside the library.

Special Library District Advisory Board member Edward Renfro urged commissioners to swiftly approve plans for the project, pointing out that the county's libraries serve 65,000 active library card holders.

"Please give us the go-ahead today so we don't get delayed," he said.

Commissioners said their support for the project was strong.

With a model of the library sitting on the dais in front of him, commission chairman Dennis Damato offered the project's architects a few suggestions.

He said construction should mirror neighboring buildings, from the facades to the rooftops.

Commissioner Joyce Valentino said she was concerned about the neighboring Masonic Lodge's support for the park.

But lodge official Thomas Poole said members did not oppose construction of a linear park and wanted to work with county officials. Their only concern, he said, was cost.

The project's design also alludes to possible expansion in the future if the Masonic Lodge relocates.

For years, county officials have discussed building a new library on the same site as the existing 1,000-square-foot library, which was built in 1968.

In 2003 they purchased land behind the existing library for $48,000.

In May 2005 commissioners approved the new library concept.

Last month they approved a new community plan for Floral City, which describes the library as a key part of the area's town center.

In other news at Tuesday's County Commission meeting:

- Commissioners unanimously approved a $244,004 contract with King Engineering for preliminary engineering of a transfer station at the county's landfill.

"I don't see where we have an alternative," Commissioner Gary Bartell said. "I don't want to dig more holes in the ground and bury garbage. But it financially has some ramifications to everyone in Citrus County."

Public Works director Glenn McCracken said county staffers had looked into alternative methods of garbage disposal. And a transfer station, he said, remains "the most probable solution."

- Commissioners postponed their consideration of an agreement with the Sheriff's Office for the proposed Safety Town and Jessie's Place projects. They said they needed more information about the county's obligations under the agreement.

Valentino and Commissioner Vicki Phillips said they did not support the proposal.

A representative from the Sheriff's Office did not attend Tuesday's meeting.

Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at cshoichet@sptimes.com or 860-7309.

[Last modified March 27, 2007, 21:21:36]