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Brick Library Will Double In Size
By Keith Hagarty
 | | --Photo By Keith Hagarty As the second busiest library in Ocean County, the Brick Library on Chambers Bridge Road will be getting a makeover in 2009 after the county and library entered into an agreement this week to fund a $9.5 million expansion project. |
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Perusing the stacks of books at the Brick Library, in search of the perfect story with cute bunny pictures for her 7-yearold daughter, Gwendolyn, it didn't take long for Brick resident Cameron Dravenski to know what she'd put on her holiday wish list.
"It'd be nice if there was a little more room here," said Dravenski. "Sometimes, whenever I come here, it feels a little cramped when you get all the kids and the parents crowding in."
In an effort to meet the needs of the township's growing population, the Brick Township branch of the Ocean County Library on Chambers Bridge Road plans to begin a major expansion and renovation project in 2009.
The library was originally built in 1990. Now, the $9.5 million expansion project calls for the current 19,000-square-foot facility on Chambers Bridge Road to be increased by an additional 21,000-square-feet, more than doubling its size.
Susan Garner has served as the library's branch manager for the last year and a half, and has worked at the facility since its opening day.
"We long ago outgrew the facilities here as far as space, and of course with the introduction of all sorts of new services- with the coming of the Internet and computers, they've all come since 1990 in a big way- we are just in need of expanded facilities," said Garner. "But not even just for computers. We have a very, very active children's program, so it would be nice for them to have more space and room to do programming, as well as the teens we serve, and also room for a computer lab and other small conference rooms. There's need for not only larger meeting space, but also for more space for smaller groups."
After housing the library for several years in a basement room at the municipal building on Chambers Bridge Road, the move to the current library facility seemed like a perfect solution 17 years ago. However, a mere five years later, library officials soon realized the building had already reached its maximum capacity.
"You could imagine going from one large space like that over to a two-floor building, at first it seemed very spacious, but then use of course just boomed and we filled it up," she said. "Then about that same time, we started getting more and more computers, and having a tech center and things like that, and we really started growing."
The branch is bursting at the seams, and it's time to expand and renovate to meet the needs of one of the fastest growing communities in Ocean County, said Freeholder Joseph Vicari.
"We are very proud of our library system," said Vicari. "These improvements will provide tremendous benefits to all the residents using it."
"This is all about meeting the needs of our residents," said Freeholder Director John P. Kelly. "Under the leadership of Freeholder Joe Vicari, who serves as liaison to this library system, and Elaine McConnell, the director of the Ocean County Library, our residents will be pleased with the upcoming changes."
Some of the new features in the projected upgrades at the soon to be 40,000-square-foot library include a larger meeting room, an expanded children's area, an enhanced technology hub, and an area specifically designed for teenage patrons.
"The Brick Township branch circulates about 900,000 items annually," said Vicari. "From books, to tapes to magazines, the number of people using this facility is second only to our main branch in Toms River."
This week, the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders entered into an agreement with the Ocean County Library and Brick Township to share the costs of the multi-million dollar project.
"For many years, we have worked in partnership with the hosting community in order to share the cost of either building a brand new facility or for the expansion of an existing one," said Vicari "I am very pleased that Brick Township will join us and the library in continuing this tradition by being a partner in this expansion project."
Dennis Kowal Architects, of Somerville, was awarded a contract, not to exceed $965,000 by the freeholders to develop a project feasibility study, design work, obtaining permits and all preliminary work required on the project.
Nearly a dozen architectural proposals were received by the county, narrowed down to three finalists who were all interviewed individually by a panel made up of library and county representatives, according to Elaine McConnell, director of the Ocean County Library system.
"The project includes improving access to the site from Chambers Bridge Road," said McConnell.
The architect's work is expected to take about 12 months to complete, said Mc- Connell, with construction expected to get underway in the spring of 2009.
"This project will give us the opportunity to make the site more inviting and welcoming," said McConnell. "We will change the façade of the building and also improve its look with landscaping."
Now that the architect has been selected, Garner is excited to start seeing additional plans and blueprint design in the coming year.
"As we begin seeing designs, I think there will be quite a bit of room for feedback there," she said.
In preparation for the expansion plans, the library has held a series of focus groups with patrons and staff over the last year and a half to gauge what they want most in a library upgrades project.
"We talked to members of the community and staff about what their library of the future involved," said Garner. "We got a lot of good feedback at that point, which will be shared with the architect."
In addition to more space, the most common request from the community came as a complete surprise to Garner and library officials.
"Everybody wants a coffee and snack bar," said Garner. "It's certainly a trend. Jackson (branch library) did that, and of course the Toms River branch has that great partnership with Dunkin Donuts."
Another idea posed by patrons included a drive thru service for circulation materials.
With plans now approved, library officials are confident in the direction of Brick's community epicenters of knowledge.
"This newly expanded facility will be one that will meet the needs of the township," said McConnell. "It will provide a host of benefits to all segments of the population."
"It's something that's been talked about for quite a few years now that we would be next up after the Toms River (branch) expansion," said Garner. "Especially with this announcement of the architect being picked and the fact that we're going to see plans, we're going to see something tangible, I think has made it much more exciting, and you really feel like things are moving forward now."
Dravenski was encouraged upon learning about the expansion project, however she is a bit cautious about one particular aspect.
"I just hope my daughter still wants to read with me in a couple years," she joked. "I'm sure the construction here will be kind of inconvenient for awhile too, but I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished work. We've needed it for awhile now."
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