Members of McGoey, Hauser and Edsall (MHE) consulting engineering firm presented their design of the newly proposed Pike County library building at the February 7 meeting of the new library board.

The library board approved the design and launched a major fund-raising campaign to supplement the $2.5 million in construction funds already on hand.

“This is just for the building,” said Michael J. Lamoreaux, MHE associate. “There is no money for any landscaping. We are not going to surround the building with gravel but will landscape it minimally.”

“We are going to raise funds to pay for this as well as for other features of the building,” said Rob Rohner, chairman of the board. “Right now, the $2.5 million is just for the new construction.”

Only the main floor of the two-floor building will be utilized. “We propose the lower floor will be developed later,” Lamoreaux said.

Several months ago, some donors of the construction funds asked for their money back during the months of disagreement with the former board.

“About $230,000 was withdrawn at that time, but I feel that a lot of those donors will come back now that a design is in place,” said Ellen Schaftner, library executive director.

“It’s going to be tight, but we feel that the timeline of May 2011, demanded by the two funding sources, will be met,” Lamoreaux said.

The library construction is being funded by two $1 million grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and Pennsylvania Department of the Budget. The remaining $500,000 is from the original money raised earlier for the construction.

Attorney Kevin Walsh, representing Karpowich Associates, explained that the new changes to the library by-laws have set the number of board members at seven and will allow any new appointees to be elected by all of the current board membership. The previous by-laws limited the members who could select new members.

At the board meeting, Rohner read letters of support for the new board from PA Senator Lisa Baker, Representative Michael Peifer, 10 local municipalities and the Friends of the Library board.

“I feel confident that we will be able to raise funding to complete a library building of which we can be proud,” Rohner said.