Library fund raising feasibility a big maybe
By ELAINE VAN DEVELDE
Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — The fund-raising feasibility figures are in, and they’re telling the township that right now the public library is a few renovations late and $3 million short.

The revelation of what has now become a library goal started materializing over the summer. In an effort to remedy what she saw as outmoded architectural ills, library Director Susan O’Neill started pursuing what she deemed an essential a renovation project for the 1970s New Monmouth Road facility back in July.

All told, the entire project is estimated to cost $8.3 million and is supported by a polled public, O’Neill had said in the summer. Figuring in grant money from a mass statewide legislative public library construction allocation of $45 million, the project will end up needing about $3 million in public funding.

About double that money, though, will have to be bonded by the township first and put into the public’s fund-raising pot later. Whether or not that public is willing to foot the bill is another matter.

So, in the name of assessing what a realistic fund-raising expectation is, O’Neill hired a fund-raising feasibility team out of noted high-end firm Semple Bixel Associates Inc., Nutley. Members of that firm presented their findings at last week’s Township Committee meeting.

The bottom line: as designed by the architect the library hired – Todd Harvey of Beatty-Harvey and Associates, New York – the library needs the $3 million O’Neill had said it would in fund-raising dollars; but the money the firm thought now feasible to raise was more like $1 million. When asked by the committee why the project would be so expensive, O’Neill responded that renovations tend to cost more than basic construction and "ours is top heavy on renovations."

Dissected, the state grant would cover about 20 percent of the project, or $1.3 million, the maximum allowable funding. The remainder of the estimated $8.3 million would be taken up in local funds dedicated to the library purpose (fees, fines, etc.), capital campaign fund raising and the township. The architect’s and feasibility study team’s fees, which were not disclosed, were covered by "library fines and fees money that was socked away," O’Neill said in July.

The reality is, though, that right now the township would have to bond for the entire remainder of the money.

The idea is to bond now and put the money in the pot later. However, the committee isn’t yet certain of whether or not getting that money back in the pot on time is feasible. According to the fund-raising feasibility study, it’s really not. Still, they’re optimistic. Catherine Swan, a consultant with Semple, summed up the findings, saying that four things have to be considered: how much money could be raised over what period of time, is there the leadership to help, is this a good time, and is there a statement of need from the people of Middletown?

The major deterring factors concerning whether or not $3 million worth of fund raising is feasible right now were: the Sept. 11 World Trade Center terrorist attacks and their mass affect on Middletown, the school referendum costs, and a lack of fund-raising leadership to spearhead the project.

Committeeman Patrick Parkinson questioned whether or not the economy downswing in general was a deterrence.

Semple consultant Peter Dane said, "The economy is less important than you think. It creates caution. People are just giving less right now but are not less willing to give. Despite what people have thought, in the aftermath of Sept. 11 we’re not seeing a shift of funds from other charities. We’re seeing, instead, a good effect from Sept. 11 — that people are more confident about giving to local causes because they know the locals and trust where the money is going."

Another integral finding of the consultants’ is that of the 49 people polled in their study, there is not a lot of knowledge about the library in the community. Although 88 percent of those 49 who read the statement of need said it was compelling.

O’Neill interjected that a former poll that was conducted revealed more personal experiences of residents that the "facility was cramped, the kids’ room was small, there was no teen room, and there was too much noise." Targeted at raising $3 million, the study to assess that feasibility ultimately gave no real answer. "Is that $3 million goal attainable?" Dane said. "I don’t know. … What we heard is that ‘I am willing to be convinced, but I’m not convinced yet.’ "

While most everyone polled was willing to consider a personal gift, the test gift range was rather high with few offering to give the top cited gift of $500,000. As with any fund-raising endeavor, the consultants tested the field with those of high financial means.

Swan pointed out, though, that "fund raising is not democratic. You have to go to the top givers first. But when people see those people giving and the success of the project, they jump on the bandwagon."

Conclusions projected about the library were:

• The library is believed to be the only institution in town for everybody.

• The library is held in high regard by those who know about it.

• Limitations of the library appear to be obvious to many.

Further conclusions concerning the fund-raising feasibility were:

• $1 million is attainable at this time

• a goal of $3 million is ambitious

• major contributors live in Middletown, though whether or not they’ll contribute to the library is uncertain

• nearly everyone would give something

"Those findings don’t exactly look encouraging," said Committeewoman Rosemarie Peters. "It doesn’t seem that there’s a very solid ground for getting the results that are needed. Things look rather ambivalent."

The consultants said a key in stretching the attainable $1 million to $3 million was recruiting the right leaders. So far, they said, community leader Judith Stanley made an encouraging offer to recruit friends with a "visioning retreat at her home sometime in January."

A library foundation also needs to be formed right away so that the tax status qualifications for more grants will exist that wouldn’t normally. O’Neill also said that raising the bar of visibility at the library was key in getting and keeping interest in such a feat. She brought to the committee’s attention that there are about 47,000 active cardholders, or about 67 percent of the population of near 70,000 in Middletown, which she saw as a sign to move ahead.

"Bond rates are good right now," said Mayor Joan Smith in a separate interview. "It’s a lot of money, and we’ll have to see what people think. It is, though, always better to build now than to wait." The last time there were any funds doled out for libraries via legislation was 10 years ago, according to O’Neill, and she doesn’t want Middletown to be left out.

Right now the township has to decide whether or not to bond for nearly $7 million by the Feb. 20, 2002 deadline for the state grant, which O’Neill said is "looming," so she’d "try to get the answers the committee needs as soon as possible." In order to make the state deadlines, the township would have to introduce at least one bond ordinance in January. An alternative is that there could be two bond ordinances — one in 2002 and another in 2003.