Questions remain over LaSalle library historic designation proposal

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July 28, 2010

By Mark Scheer Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Wed Jul 28, 2010, 07:39 PM EDT

NIAGARA FALLS — Members of the Niagara Falls Library Board want to discuss a few more details before they agree to lend their support to plans for designating the LaSalle Library building as an historic site.

Library officials agreed Wednesday to hold a more indepth meeting at a future date to discuss the designation process with members of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission.

The commission is in the process of completing an application that would ask city lawmakers to approve landmark status for the Buffalo Avenue library building, which was once home to the library, post office, police station and municipal hall for the old Village of LaSalle.

The plan was put on hold last week on the advice of city attorneys who recommended preservation members meet with library officials to discuss the plan before moving forward.

Commission Chairman Michael Parsnick and city attorney Tom O’Donnell attended Wednesday’s library board meeting where trustees decided it would be best to hold a special session at a later date where the LaSalle library designation would be the only topic up for discussion.

“We’re not opposed to it,” said Trustee Carmen Granto. “We just want to know more about it — what are the pluses and minuses.”

Local landmark status would protect the building at 8728 Buffalo Ave. from being demolished or significantly altered without formal approval. Landmark designation would also allow the property to become eligible for tax credits and grant programs. City ordinances allow either the owner of a building or the commission to seek historic designation. The commission can recommend sites be designated as local landmarks without an owner’s consent. The final determination on whether a designation is approved rests with the members of the city council.

The library board and interim Director Dan Killian have had discussions in recent months about the possibility of expanding the level of services offered at the LaSalle branch in response to what Killian says has been a trend that shows more LaSalle residents are borrowing materials from the neighoring North Tonawanda library than the one in their neighborhood. Killian has suggested that providing additional services for children and families might bring more residents into the building. The proposed expansion might require alterations to the building’s interior. Trustees have expressed some concern about how an historic designation might impact those plans.

“That’s the kind of questions we want to sit down and talk about,” Granto said.

Another issue that needs some sorting out involves whether the library board’s approval is needed to allow an historic designation to be authorized for the library building. O’Donnell indicated that the issue is a bit of a “gray area” as the trustees run the city’s library, the city owns the building and the commission, with approval from the city council, is responsible for historic designations.

Parsnick and Library Board President Delores Marino agreed to schedule a meeting in a few weeks to allow both parties to discuss all outstanding issues.

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