Library board approves design

Despite concerns and complaints from some Madisonville residents, the St. Tammany Parish Library Board Thursday night unanimously voted to accept the design submitted by the architectural firm Sizeler Thompson Brown for a brand new Madisonville Library.

The board met at the Slidell branch of the St. Tammany Library, and even after an preview of the building by board President Dr. Agiro Morgan, some at the meeting said the outside of the building was not to their liking.

“As a whole, the shape does not fit in with Madisonville architecture,” said Madisonville resident Gayle Perry to the board. “All we are asking is that the exterior design be reconsidered.”

Nobody at the meeting had any argument with the interior, which will have more than 2,000-square feet for the children’s section, meeting and conference rooms, computer stations, study rooms and tech labs.

Residents said the outside had to be softened to fit into the other buildings surrounding the library, in particular the Maritime Museum.

Board President Dr. Argiro Morgan said that the design for the exterior is not finished, and that after a plaza and landscaping is added, it will please library patrons.

“We did not want a square or rectangular Wal-Mart building,” Morgan said.

But that didn’t seem to please some Madisonville residents at the meeting.

Tim Bounce, Madisonville councilman said the architects and the board did not really listen to what the town wanted.

“No building in town looks like this,” Bounce said. “We want it to keep the flavor of the town, soften its lines, and it can be done.”

Others said that the proposed library would block the view of the Maritime Museum, and others suggested that such things as gables and eaves be added to complement other buildings.

But the architect, John Owens told the audience there were problems to softening such a large building.

“The library will be five times bigger than the largest house. It will be hard to show the same detail on such a large building,” Owens said.

Some residents thought that the roof should be more pitched to soften the overall effect of the structure, but Owen reminded them that space was at a premium. To avoid future flooding the library will be raised 16 feet, and the architects have to meet the town’s requirement of a height of only 40 feet.

Making the roof steeper would mean cutting down on the space inside. He added that doing more changes would mean adding to the cost. The board has a $5 million budget for the new library.

“We must deal with the functionality. We are working on a budget and there is just much we can do,” said board member Barbara Morgan.

Morgan reminded the audience that when the library is finished, it will be one of the biggest libraries in the parish, and will serve more than just the residents of Madisonville.

She said that once shutters, doors, and windows are added, the building will be attractive.

Even though the board voted to accept the design, they said they were more than willing to listen to other suggestions on changes to the building. Owens agreed.

“The drawings are just a palette. Nothing is set in stone, and we are open to suggestions,” Owens said. “But bear in mind, we have limitations. We want it to work, but not everybody will be happy. We will work to try to make as many people as happy as possible.”