Addison Township Public Library officials are currently exploring their options for a new building in the future and, at a June 19 Addison Township board meeting, James Baldiga pitched one of those ideas to Addison Township board members.

During a presentation to the board, Baldiga requested Addison donate a township-owned plot of land, which is less than one acre and located adjacent to the Addison Township Hall, to library officials, which would allow them to construct a new library building there.

A small play structure currently sits on the property.

“We’re at a point where, if the township and the township trustees would be open to the idea of selling or gifting or (making) some sort of agreement where the library could build our building (there), we could use that piece of (library-owned) property across the street to fund all or a large portion of the construction of (a new) library,” Baldiga told the board. “We really don’t want to go to the community and say we’d like a bond or something but we don’t know what the trustees think about that and so we’re kind of in a holding pattern until we hear from you on the feasibility or the possibility of putting a library roughly where the playground is.”

Previously, library officials were considering constructing a new building on a library-owned plot of land, which was donated for its use in 2007.

But, through further exploration, Baldiga said preparation of the donated land’s topography would be too costly for library officials to afford.

The donated 3.85-acre parcel of land is located on the north side of Rochester Road, between Milmine St. to the west and Cantley St. to the east– directly across from the township complex.

“(The library board has) had a long and deep discussion about how we could use that piece of property… either to build a new building on the entire piece, maybe split it, sell a piece to help fund the construction… as we’ve had this discussion, we’ve come to the realization that that’s kind of a tricky piece of property to put a building on,” Baldiga told the board. “It’s very hilly, there (are) a lot of frontages. It would cost us a substantial amount of money just to prep it (for construction).”

Although Supervisor Bruce Pearson told Baldiga that he is a “big supporter of the library,” he also said his request is not a simple one.

“There are a lot of legal issues as to ownership of the property, since the township owns it… There are a lot of issues that I would like to talk with you about,” Pearson told Baldiga. “There’s a lot involved here. It’s not just a thing of saying ‘Here, have this piece of property. ‘There (are) a lot of legality (issues), the liability and money and loans and different things like that (to take into account), so we need to talk.”

Baldiga’s request to the board comes on the heels of proposed changes by the owner of the strip mall which houses Addison Township’s current library.

The building’s owner, Manny Yasso, recently indicated to library officials that he plans to demolish the current building in 2021, and rebuild the strip mall.

Although Yasso offered to rebuild the library, according to Baldiga, the rental price for space the library’s current size would triple in the proposed building.

Addison Township Library officials have been renting the current 3,000-square-foot space, located at 1400 Rochester Road in Leonard, for $1,000 monthly since 2011.

According to Baldiga, library officials are hoping the next space will be between 4,000 and 5,000 square feet, to accommodate increased traffic within the library.

“(In a) community of our size, that’s about the size library that we should have. I’m trying to help steer our library to the future,” Baldiga told the board.

The library has grown substantially, according to Addison Township Librarian Jaema Berman. With 55 people currently signed up for the library’s summer reading program, she added that the library is doing better than ever.

“We’re just kind of bursting at the seams and it’s very exciting to have this (level of) enthusiasm . . . (We have) momentum and we’re on a roll here and it’d be great to team up with the township… I think (it) would benefit all of us as a community so I hope you take that (into) consideration as we move forward,” said Berman.

Pearson and Baldiga are scheduled to meet on Thursday, June 29, to discuss feasible options for a future library, according to Pearson.