No final decisions were made regarding the shape of the new Addison Township Public Library that officials are planning to construct, but they did get an idea as to how much two different concepts could cost.

A 5,000-square-foot, Y-shaped building could cost $1.284 million whereas a same-size rectangular facility could cost $1.235 million, according to proposed budgets submitted by James Ratliff, of The Alan Group, Inc., the Troy-based company that’s serving as construction manager.

Ratliff presented the figures at the June 18 meeting of the library board of trustees.

“The bottom line is we’re quite a bit north of where the comfort budget was,” he said.

The library is looking to spend approximately $900,000 on site development, construction, equipment and furnishings for a new 5,000-square-foot building. The plan is to build it in Lakeville on a vacant parcel that’s approximately 3.8 acres. The property is bordered by Rochester Rd. to the south, Cantley St. to the east and Milmine Rd. to the west.

Ratliff explained even though the square-footage is exactly the same for the Y-shaped and rectangular concepts, the reason the former is approximately $50,000 higher is because there’s a lot more building envelope, which generates additional cost.

The Y-shaped concept contains a patio area. Two patio concepts were originally presented, one open to the sky and one covered by a roof. The proposed budget Ratliff presented was for the open-sky version.

At this point, Ratliff believes they’ve “done everything that (they) could do” to come up with the most “efficient” design possible.

“I don’t know what else we could do other than saying chop off a chunk of the building or something like that,” he said.

But, it was noted that decreasing the facility’s size could result in a cost that’s currently not part of the proposed budgets.

According to Ron Rader Jr., lead designer with the Pontiac-based TDG Architects, the firm hired to design the new library, the International Building Code dictates that if the facility is 5,000 square feet or more, it has a “civic use” classification and does not need a fire suppression system.

However, if the building’s size dips below 5,000 square feet, Rader said then its classification changes to “business use” and a suppression system would be required.

It’s feared that adding such a system could negate potential savings from the reduction in building size.

“We’d be saving $30,000 in building cost, (but) we’d be throwing it right back in because now we have to (have) a fire suppression system,” Ratliff told this reporter. “We could end up with a smaller building and not getting anything for it.”

Ratliff noted he advised library officials to build a facility that doesn’t require spending money on a system.

“You don’t get any additional square-footage for that,” he said. “It doesn’t bring any extra program value by putting a fire suppression system in.”

Ratliff noted the one area that’s still a variable in the budget is sitework. Both budgets contain sitework costs totalling $412,100, which includes earthwork, asphalt and concrete paving, fencing and gates, irrigation, landscaping and underground utilities. Some changes suggested during the meeting – such as eliminating some parking spaces – are expected to reduce the total sitework cost to between $375,000 and $400,000.

According to Ratliff, the sitework cost could still go up or down, but he feels “very comfortable” with the figures he provided concerning the facility.

“The building itself is a pretty simple building,” he told this reporter.

According to Ratliff, library officials are more concerned about their ability to continue offering quality programming to the public than creating a building with “bells and whistles.”

“That was more important to them than having some big Taj Mahal-type of structure,” he said.

Both of the proposed budgets contained a section entitled “community contribution elements.”

“These are the things that we’ll be needing or would like to have that I am carrying no cost for (in the budget) right now,” Ratliff told the board. “We are anticipating people stepping up (and buying or donating these items).”

The list included a flagpole, circulation desk, vanity counters, tile walls, display boards, signage, information technology/data systems, audiovisual systems and furniture.

Library officials plan to continue fine-tuning the project to get the total cost closer to the $900,000 goal.

Library Board Member James Elsarelli, chairman of the New Building Committee, noted that back in February, they were presented with a $1.8 million estimate to build a new library and since then, that number has only gone down.

“We’re getting there,” he said.

Elsarelli believes library officials need to keep “reaching out” to the public and seeking donations to help reduce the project cost.

Library Board Member Mary Frost noted that once the public sees construction activity on the site, “they’re going to step up a little bit more” with regard to contributions.

“This community does give,” she said.

Library Board Member Marilyn Szost agreed. She said people will be more apt to donate once the project is “not nebulous anymore” and they “see how (they) can help.”

The plan is to fund the new library with a combination of savings, a loan, fund-raising and donations of goods and services. Officials have repeatedly made it clear that no tax increases or new taxes would be sought.

By the end of this year, the library anticipates having approximately $440,000 in savings.

Library officials have also approached Oxford Bank about taking out a 25-year, $500,000 loan.

James Baldiga, president of the library board, said the bank was “very comfortable” with the proposed loan because there will be enough equity between the land and building to make it “a good risk for them.”

The library is in the process of applying for a grant from the Four County Community Foundation, an Almont-based nonprofit organization that’s committed to serving needs and supporting ideas related to education, health, community and youth and adult programs.

Library officials are also looking at applying for funding from the Herrick Foundation, a nonprofit based in Detroit that supports higher education, youth, health and welfare agencies, hospitals and libraries.

To help generate revenue for the building project, the library board last week voted to engage a Realtor to list a 0.2-acre sliver of its land that has access to Lakeville Lake, but only if the person who donated the entire 3.8-acre site in 2008 is “amenable” to the idea.

According to Baldiga, the Realtor indicated the 0.2 acre could be listed for between $30,000 and $40,000, and there are already people interested in it.

Elsarelli was the one who suggested talking to the donor, James Schenden, before listing the property. “I like the idea, but I feel maybe we owe an explanation to the person who donated it,” he said.

Although library officials can “technically . . . do what (they) want” with the land, Elsarelli saw approaching Schenden first as the respectful thing to do.

That being said, Elsarelli doesn’t believe Schenden is “going to be too heartbroken over it” because the property had been split before it was donated to the library.