Libraries’ health and safety
upgrades to get $3.5 million
boost under plan

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By Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com

A Board of Education committee has approved an additional $3.5 million for health and safety projects at public libraries, including providing access for the disabled.

The Committee on Public Libraries last night endorsed the backlogged projects as part of the libraries 2002-03 supplemental construction budget, said Keith Fujio, the Hawaii Public Library System's administrative services officer.

The budget will go before the school board for approval Sept. 20 when it meets on the Big Island.

The state libraries received $2.5 million for fiscal year 2002, but need between $8 million and $9 million for the projects, Fujio said.

"We got zero for fiscal year 2003," he said.

The money will go toward such items as replacement roofs, but a large chunk of the money will be used to put the libraries in compliance with federal regulations mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

That includes such projects as installation of wheelchair ramps, he said.

With the limited amount of money it had, the state library system was able to comply with ADA requirements years ago, explained special assistant John Penebacker of the Hawaii State Public Library System.

"Then the feds upgraded the requirements," he said.

Two years ago, the library system identified $6 million to $7 million in ADA compliance projects.

The library system has retained an ADA consultant for $250,000 to identify all the libraries' deficiencies and to plan and design the ADA compliance projects.