Jason Hatton
The Bartholomew County Council has unanimously approved an additional appropriation for the Bartholomew County Library to replace its aging elevator early this fall.
Council members agreed Tuesday to earmark $200,000 from the library’s $750,000 operating reserves fund for the elevator. Tuesday’s council vote essentially mirrored what the library board of trustees approved on July 10.
It appears the elevator will be out of service from early October until late that month or in early November, library Director Jason Hatton said.
In service since 1969, the library’s elevator stopped working on March 24. Sufficient work was done to make it safe and operational – “for now,” Hatton said.
While the project has been described as a modernization, the term essentially means stripping everything out to the bare bones and installing a new elevator, the library director said.
Since the library is its own taxing unit, it sets its own budget and is not required to present the budget to the county council for approval. The library’s Operating Fund currently has a healthy $1.5 million, Hatton said.
The financial problem is more of a matter of bad timing. The elevator broke down in March, which was the same month the library began a six-month project to replace every flooring surface in their main building. Cost estimates on the flooring were at about $800,000, Hatton said.
“As long as we do not grow faster than the growth quotient, we do not have to come before you,” Hatton told the council. “But we have had quite a few expenditures we did not anticipate. We realize our appropriation is not enough to carry us through the end of the year if we have to pay for that elevator.”
One council member asked if the new elevator could be paid for by funds from the federal American Rescue Plan. Hatton replied he had researched that question with County Commissioner Tony London and discovered that is not a possibility.
While the library board voted in April to approve a $119,900 bid from the Oracle Elevator Company for the new elevator, certain preparations were not covered by the bidders that are necessary for code compliance, Hatton said. During a library board meeting, members learned those costs will run between $20,000 to $40,000.
Any unspent money from the $200,000 allocation will serve as a financial cushion that may or may not be needed for unanticipated expenses, he said.
