Hrricane Katrina has given the town of Madisonville and the St. Tammany Library Board an opportunity to build a structure from the ground up that will offer current and future generations a place of community, research and reading.

Wednesday night schematic plans for the building were unveiled by the architects involved in the project at a public meeting of the St. Tammany Library Board of Control, Madisonville city council members and members of the community.

Dr. Argiro Morgan, president of the Library Board of Control, introduced the architects involved in the plans, saying, “This is the first library built in a generation in the parish.” Although these plans are not finalized, the master plan for the structure has taken into consideration many of the concerns of the community as well as the size and context of community features.

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The lead architect on the project is Thomas Brown of Sizeler, Thompson, Brown Architects, joined by Ronald E. Kilcrease of REK Architects and Denelle Wrightsen of PSA Dewberry who is designing the interior of the building.

Brown presented the objective of the library building at the meeting as, “a community-friendly building, which represents the values of Madisonville’s citizens, now and for future generations.”

The challenges in the design included neighbors’ concerns about outdoor lighting, noise during construction and parking. Construction is expected to take a year from the groundbreaking and no construction would be done at night. Due to its close proximity to the Tchefuncte River, which increases the possibility of flooding, the library will be a raised building with the first floor about 16 feet off the ground. Parking, particularly handicapped parking areas will be located under the building near the hydraulic elevator.

The design submitted is about the same height as the facing Lake Pontchartrain Maritime Museum structure.

With a construction budget of about $3.5 million and size of approximately 15,000 square feet, the design has utilized the existing oak grove and has incorporated it into the landscape and building design. The property measures about 1.5 acres with 193 feet on Main Street, 310 feet on the northern boundary and 361 feet fronting Mabel Drive. The town of Madisonville owns the adjoining vacant property to the north.

The outside of the building came under scrutiny by many present as looking too industrial and not fitting in with the town. Original committee member Gail Perry said, “I am please they are bringing ideas to the public. The plans for the inside seem wonderful but the outside is too boxy, high tech and too institutional to fit into Madisonville.”

While others at the meeting agreed with her, some liked aspects of the design, especially the north-facing glass facade.

The interior will be unlike any current library’s. A bookstore genre organization system will greet patrons, with books categorized into mystery, romance, history, science and so forth rather than the traditional Dewey Decimal System.

Separate areas will be provided for adults, teens and children with a 25-30 seat conference room and a meeting area that can seat 150 and be subdivided with theuse of a sound curtain available for not only meetings but children’s projects, student group project areas, special programs and more. There will also be a computer lab where classes may be taught and research can be conducted online. In addition, laptops will be available at the circulation desk for use throughout the building.

Although the technology available was not recognized as useful or necessary by some, Kilcrease said, “Technology must be accounted for in any new building deign. It is the future.”

The use of natural lighting, seating spaces and flexible use areas are meant to attract visitors and users to an aesthetically pleasing environment for the community for the next 50 years.