Elyria Public Library seeks additional levy

The Elyria Public Library System is seeking an additional levy on this November’s ballot.

The library is seeking a 30-year 0.9-mill, additional levy for current expenses. Lyn Crouse, director of the system, said if the levy passes it would bring in about $950,000 a year, which would pay debt service on a $15 million bond to improve the system’s facilities.

According to the Lorain County Auditor’s Office, the additional levy would cost about $31.50 a year per $100,000 of property valuation.

According to Crouse, the system serves about 300,000 patrons a year, answers about 100,000 reference questions and ships 250,000 interlibrary loan books. She said the Central Branch of the library, 320 Washington Ave., is in dire need of refurbishment.

“Our Central Branch is our administrative headquarters and a library branch,” she said. “We found out last year, when we were going to do a renovation, that it is absolutely infested with asbestos.”

She said there is asbestos

in the floor, the ceiling, the wall and the heating ventilation and air conditioning are all covered in asbestos.

The branch has had the air tested, and is currently on an air quality monitoring program, but due to the asbestos they are unable to do anything with the 50-year-old building.

“We can hang a light bulb, but not a light fixture because we can’t go up in the ceiling,” she said.

Crouse said the system received a quote of $1.6 million to empty the building, abating the asbestos

and moving everything back in.

Also, the small branch the system maintained at Hamilton School, 1215 Middle Ave., has been moved to the basement of Asbury United Methodist Church, 1611 Middle Ave. According to Crouse, they’d like to build a new branch to house that material.

The levy would also pay for an expansion of the Keystone-LaGrange Branch, 101 West St. in LaGrange, and improvements to the West River Branch, 1194 West River Road in Elyria.

ERIC BONZAR — THE MORNING JOURNAL Four-year-old Averi Ellis and her mother, Sami Talarsky, of Elyria, spend the afternoon coloring at the Elyria Public Library System’s West River Branch, Oct. 9. The Elyria Public Library System will look to voters to pass an additional 0.9-mill levy...