HOLMDEL — While the township is not ready to move forward with construction of a new library, it has announced its intent to do so. At the recommendation of Pat Koziol, president of the nonprofit Friends of Holmdel Library (FOHL), the Township Committee at its July 9 meeting agreed to notify the New JerTownship hopes for piece of library funding pie By darlene diebold Staff Writersey State Library Construction Bond Program, a matching grant program, of the township’s intention to build a new library. "This demonstrates a certain level of interest for the next round of funding," Committeeman Larry Fink explained later. "There is $45 million available," Koziol said "We are just not ready to go ahead and apply this year. We want to make sure that we are in the pipeline for future funding." Currently, there are discussions about forming a library planning committee that would be appointed by the governing body. "They would be responsible for site selection, design of a new, more expanded Holmdel library, and construction," Fink said. Right now, it is unclear whether the township will be building an expansion of a current municipal building, or building a brand new library. The Friends of Holmdel Library organization was created last year after several residents complained repeatedly about the size and location of the current library, which is in the basement of town hall. They complained that "it has no home of its own," explained Fink. FOHL is a citizen-based organization, not an advisory committee to the governing body because the group wanted to remain politically neutral. "These people shared the view that the township needed a better library facility," Fink said. They would like to focus attention on, and foster public support for, the necessary development of library services and facilities in the township. They would also like to promote an increased knowledge and understanding of the library’s resources and services. Koziol said that the current library, in the basement of town hall, was established as a temporary facility in 1980 and has space restraints and an ongoing leakage problem. The township has grown 87 percent since 1980, Fink said. Before the site change, the library was housed in the former Village School on Holmdel Road. It was too small, Fink said, and the Board of Education decided to sell the property and it has since been converted to private use. Residents and book lovers are invited to help the effort. Annual FOHL memberships are being accepted; individual memberships are $10; family memberships, $25; sponsors, $100, and corporate sponsors, $1,000. Membership forms are available at the library and on the FOHL Web site at http://www.fohlibrary.org. FOHL can also be contacted at Info@FOHlibrary.org, or by calling President Pat Koziol at (732) 471-0475. The next meeting of the Friends of Holmdel Library will be held Thursday, Aug. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Senior Community Center.