​Town hall to discuss the referendum:
Monday, September 30, 2024, 7:00 PM at the Hampshire Middle School Main Gym, 560 S State St, Hampshire, IL 60140

What is the building expansion project?

It is the plan to build two new library facilities in Hampshire and Pingree Grove, each 20,000 square feet.

Why this project?

In recent years, the library has conducted several community surveys. These surveys showed that library users want more programs, private study rooms, large meeting rooms, teen areas, tween areas, kids' areas, makerspaces, outdoor program spaces, more computers, and more items on the shelves, such as books, DVDs, and games. Respondents also stated that they want the library to be closer to home and more convenient to get to.

The library board has spent years searching for a single location in the middle of the district on which to build one large library to meet all the needs identified in these surveys. These searches failed to find a suitable location, so last year the library board decided to build two medium-sized libraries, one in Hampshire and one in Pingree Grove.

How are we going to build these two libraries?

Pingree Grove has donated land to the library district. This property is between the current municipal center and the community garden on Reinking Road. We are currently negotiating with Hampshire to receive a donation of land that will be a portion of the new municipal campus being planned on the west side of State Street just north of the creek. Because the properties are about the same size, 4-5 acres, the library will design the two libraries to be twin 20,000 sq. ft. buildings.

How will we pay for these two libraries?

Both buildings together are estimated to cost $30 million total. The library district will ask the voters to approve issuing 20-year bonds in that amount at the November 5, 2024, election.  The library district will also be pursuing federal and state grants to help pay for the buildings. The district has money saved in its special capital reserve fund that can be used to offset some of the cost, though the library board wishes to reserve most of this money to pay for a future expansion in Burlington.

This is the question that voters will see on the ballot:

Shall bonds of the Ella Johnson Memorial Public Library District, Kane County, Illinois, in the amount of $30,000,000 be issued for the purpose of erecting two new library buildings, one located in Pingree Grove, Illinois, and the other located in Hampshire, Illinois, and furnishing necessary equipment and acquiring electronic data storage and retrieval facilities in connection therewith?

How much will it cost the individual taxpayer?

Please use this calculator to get a good estimate of what your new library tax bill might be if the referendum passes.

The additional amount of taxes is for the debt service on the bonds. Once the bonds are paid off, that amount of the total tax will disappear.

What's the timeline for the building project?

If the referendum passes in November, the library district will issue the bonds in early 2025 and can begin construction of both buildings as soon as the fall of 2025, presuming we've taken possession of the property in Hampshire. If we still haven't taken possession of the property in Hampshire by the fall of 2025, we will go ahead and start construction on the Pingree Grove facility first. As soon as we get the Hampshire property, we will then start construction there. We estimate that it will take a year to complete the construction on a single building. The library's current location at 109 State Street in Hampshire will remain open and fully functional until the new Hampshire facility is completed.

Who can I contact for more information on the building project and the referendum?

Contact Executive Director Stephen Bero at 847-683-4490 ext. 101 or sbero@ellajohnsonlibrary@org

References

Article in the Daily Herald: Why a library district wants to build twin facilities in Hampshire, Pingree Grove