Des Plaines Valley Public Library District

The Future is Now...
Here we have assembled information related to the future plans of the
Des Plaines Valley Public Library District. We hope that these documents will be a good
starting point in informing our residents about the future of their libraries.
Should you have any questions, please contact Director Scott Pointon.

As of April 12, 2010 we are happy to announce that a verbal agreement has been reached between the Trustees of the Des Plaines Valley Public Library District and the Trustees of the Fountaindale Public Library District regarding the sale of the Romeoville Library. Des Plaines Valley will purchase that building this spring and likely begin operations there in July 2010.

Preliminary architectural work estimates that renovations to the Romeoville library could begin as early as December 2010, with the entire building being completed by November 2011. Construction of the new Crest Hill library could begin as early as June 2011 and be completed by June 2012. The renovations to the Lockport library facility would immediately follow, beginning as early as July 2012 and being completed by Fall of 2013.

VICTORY!!!
The Board and staff of the Des Plaines Valley Public Library District wish to thank all those who supported our 2010 referendum and brought a successful result to 6 long years of planning and effort!

CONGRATULATIONS CREST HILL, LOCKPORT, AND ROMEOVILLE!

Resolution Approving Referendum Plan and Estimate of Costs
Library Board approves Referendum Question
The Library Board's goal is to achieve what our libraries need with about half of the dollars previously proposed. The Board asks that residents remain open minded as we think "outside the box" to create creative solutions to our need for improved facilities in Crest Hill, Lockport, and Romeoville.

On November 17th the Library Board approved the following question to be placed onto the ballot for the February 2, 2010 election:

"Shall the bonds of the Des Plaines Valley Public Library District, Will County, Illinois, in the amount of $23,000,000 be issued for the purpose of renovating or erecting three buildings to be used as libraries, purchasing sites to accommodate such buildings, furnishing necessary equipment for such buildings and acquiring library materials and electronic data storage and retrieval facilities in connection with the construction of such buildings?"

With this election question, the Board is proposing to purchase the existing Romeoville library building and renovate it to better serve that entire village. In Lockport, the existing building will receive a much needed overhaul, which includes the addition of new roof, elevators, ADA compliant restrooms and passageways, and much needed space for additional books and computer class instruction. In Crest Hill, this plan will provide for a new (but much scaled down) building to be constructed near the Crest Hill Menards store (by the intersection of Weber Rd and Caton Farm Rd).

The proposed $23 million in bonds will have a tax impact of $1.54 per month for each $100,000 of a home's value. This is less than half of the tax impact of the District's previous plans!
7 Myths Concerning the Library District Plan for Improved Facilities

Your Libraries: 2009 Outlook
This updated document provides an overview of the general state of the Library District, results of the last referendum, and options for what the library is planning for the future.
This is a rather large file (1.5 Mb), viewable with the Free Acrobat Reader.
A Description of Library Services Did you know that for every $1.00 invested by the public in the library district, they received $6.00 in services? Viewable with the Free Acrobat Reader.
Property Tax Relief Information
Do you think you have no way of reducing your property taxes? Better check again! Obviously we are librarians and not tax experts, but we can point you in the right direction if you need help finding the right forms or information.
Building Program Summary
Our very experienced building space consultant has prepared this document to summarize the state of our current buildings and the needs of any future library facilities. Viewable with the Free Acrobat Reader.
Facility Analysis Report
This report was commissioned to determine the current condition of our existing library facilities. It was prepared by PSA-Dewberry, a national architecture and engineering firm specializing in the planning and design of library facilities. Viewable with the Free Acrobat Reader.
What is the Tax Cap and How Does it Affect Your Community?
The following article was written in 2005 by Kathy Berggren, Director of the Matteson Public Library for her local newspaper. It is so well done and it exposes the problem of tax caps so clearly that we would like to share it with you here. Viewable with the Free Acrobat Reader.
The Library District's Long Range Plan
The Board of Trustees commissioned this Long-Range Strategic Plan in 2004 to address and plan for the future needs of our Library District and its residents. Viewable with the Free Acrobat Reader.