SNOW HILL – County officials say plans for a new library in Pocomoke won’t proceed until changes are made to bring costs down.
Worcester County Commissioner Chip Bertino, president of the board, clarified the county’s position regarding the new library branch planned for the former armory site in Pocomoke this week. He said he’d been getting emails from citizens in Pocomoke and wanted to provide an update on the situation.
“This body is very much in favor of the new library in Pocomoke, but we are also waiting for additional information that has been requested of the library director with regards to the plan for construction for that facility,” Bertino said. “We have been waiting now for several weeks and we’d very much like to see that information so that project can move forward. Until we get that information the project is not going anywhere.”
In February, Worcester County Library Director Jennifer Ranck shared plans for a new 13,000-square-foot branch in Pocomoke. She said the new facility, designed by Jeff Schoellkopf, was projected to cost $9,325,000.
Bertino’s comments came after Monday’s decision by the Pocomoke City Council to accept a loan from Worcester County to fund the demolition of the armory and other dilapidated structures in the vicinity.
“They are a safety risk,” Councilman Todd Nock said. “They have been an eyesore to this town for entirely too long … We cannot continue to bring new things into this town without fixing what is already torn up.”
At the meeting, Commissioner Caryn Abbott, who was in attendance, said citizens were asking if the loan was tied to the library being built on the site. Abbott told them the county was waiting on information requested from the library.
“I’m really waiting for information from the library to come back,” Abbott said. “That is undecided at this point.”
“That’s news to the library,” Ranck said from the audience. “That the project is undecided? That’s news to me.”
Abbott went on to say that the commissioners weren’t going to vote on something until they had all the information.
“I’m not trying to be mean I’m just telling you the truth,” Abbott said. “We cannot make informed decisions without the correct information.”
When contacted mid-week, Abbott said that while the commissioners supported the concept of a new Pocomoke library, there were specific issues that needed to be addressed before it could happen. She said she wanted to clear up misinformation being shared in the community.
“There won’t be shovels in the ground in May,” she said.
According to Abbott the commissioners have concerns about the cost of the proposed $9.3 million building. They’ve asked for some revisions to bring the cost down.
Ranck confirmed that in an email Wednesday.
“The Commissioners have asked the library to take a look at our current plans and evaluate ways to bring down the projected cost,” she wrote. “We had a design team meeting yesterday and plan to share developments with Commissioners in April. As the process continues, we are getting more and more excited about bringing a new, modern library to the Pocomoke community.”
Abbott stressed that she was not opposed to a new library in Pocomoke.
“We’re excited about getting a new library,” she said. “We just have questions that need to be answered before we move forward.”
