For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 4, 2016
The Montgomery County Council’s Health and Human Services Committee at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4, will discuss a proposed public-private partnership that would renovate and upgrade the Noyes Library for Young Children in Kensington. The committee also will address requested funding for the annual Executive Ball for the Arts.
The worksessions are part of the Council’s review of County Executive Ike Leggett’s recommended Fiscal Year 2017 operating budget and his Fiscal Years 2017-22 Capital Improvements Program (CIP). The Council will adopt the budget in late May and it will go into effect on July 1.
The Health and Human Services Committee, which is chaired by Councilmember George Leventhal and includes Councilmembers Roger Berliner and Craig Rice, will meet in the Seventh Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The meeting will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon) and also will be available via streaming through the Council web site at http://tinyurl.com/z9982v8 .
The Noyes Library is a small, historically designated library with services focused on pre-kindergarten education and early childhood (infants through approximately age 8). The small scale and intimate setting of the library are unique, but the building is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
County Executive Leggett today sent a letter to Council President Nancy Floreen explaining the CIP adjustment he is recommending in regard to the Noyes Library.
“For some time, staff from my office has worked collaboratively with representatives from the Noyes Children's Library Foundation, Council staff, the Departments of Public Libraries and General Services and the Offices of Management and Budget and County Attorney to develop this partnership,” County Executive wrote. “With the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the County and the Noyes Children's Library Foundation, the County is prepared to submit this project for funding and the Foundation will launch a fund raising campaign to support its planned $1.5 million contribution to the project. It is my understanding that the County Council also wishes to support the project through reallocation of funds for the Capital Improvement Grants for the Arts and Humanities from the Cost Sharing project to this project.”
The project will provide for a comprehensive rehabilitation of the library to include conversion of the attic into a finished second floor, renovation of the first floor and the addition of a finished basement, an elevator, ADA compliant restrooms and egress stairs. The rehabilitated facility will be able to accommodate more attendees and more types of programming and services than are possible in the current facility.
Design of the project is scheduled to begin in FY17 and construction will commence when the necessary funds for the complete project are raised by the Noyes Children's Library Foundation.
The committee also will continue its discussion regarding $200,000 that was requested for FY17 for the Arts and Humanities Matching Fund for the Executive Ball for the Arts. At a previous meeting, Committee Chair Leventhal said funds should not be approved unless the organization that runs the ball provided a list of revenues and expenditures associated with the event. The committee has requested four years of financial records, but has yet to receive a response from the organization. The committee also has requested information on the process and criteria used by the organization to award grants from the event’s proceeds.
# # # Release ID: 16-144