$3M project to restore historic library advances
TRENTON » A long-dormant historic landmark in the city may have new life.
But one legislator fears a group looking to reimagine the Trenton East Public Library into a modern community haven doesn’t have the chops to complete the ambitious multi-milliondollar project.
“I’m not supportive of the bull crap,” West Ward councilwoman Robin Vaughn said this week. “What are you going to do? Paint a few walls. … We don’t want the walls painted and a few books stacked.”
The two-phased $2.7 million project, led by New Jersey Community Capital, cleared its first hurdle.
On Thursday, council took an initial step toward leasing the vacant property to NJCC and approved a $750,000 grant for rehabbing the facility.
Legislators vote on final approval for the project after a public hearing Feb. 4.
Vaughn was the lone council member to vote against the initiative, which was widely supported by community members who spoke in favor of it during public comment.
Diane Sterner, director of community strategies for the New Jersey Community Capital, said the city was “losing ground” every year the historic space, on the 700 block of South Clinton Avenue, remains unoccupied.
The developer hopes to complete the first phase of the project allowing public access to the first floor of the library by spring 2022, Sterner said.
That encompasses renovations to the interior and exterior of the 3,600-square-foot first-floor space, including adding two handicap-accessible restrooms, according to records.
Two upstairs restrooms and an elevator will provide access to the second floor, which officials hope to lease to a nonprofit interested in further redevelopment for the neighborhood.
“We’re very passionate about getting this project to happen,” Sterner said.
The library has been shuttered for more than a decade, city officials said.
Since then, few “legitimate” proposals have materialized for a building originally constructed in 1796 as home to Samuel Dickinson, the son of a Revolutionary War general.
“In a perfect city, we would be operating this building,” at-large councilman Jerell Blakeley said.
He urged colleagues to support the project saying shooting it down proved to Trentonians that officials don’t care about what they say “because I see what you do.”
“Don’t cut your nose to spite your face,” he said.
Vaughn expressed reservations about the structural integrity of the building and NJCC’s track record of completing projects in the capital city.
“Are we throwing good money after bad?” she asked at Thursday’s meeting.
Benjamin Delisle, the city’s housing and economic director, assured the councilwoman that a structural assessment determined the building was “sound” and could be modernized.
Sterner said the developer was all-in on the project but construction plans can’t be formulated until funding was secured.
She hoped the library could once again become the “center of” East Trenton.
“There’s been a lot of planning and thought that has gone into this initiative,” Sterner said.
NJCC already received a $750,000 grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust, and the city will match the grant.
Delisle said Trenton retains ownership of the library under the lease agreement.
The NJCC is responsible for footing the bill on upgrades to the building and would then be reimbursed by the city, he added.