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The Elon Board of Aldermen could make a decision Tuesday night about whether or not to move forward with the Elon Public Library Project.

In its first meeting of the year, the board was still at a standstill Monday on the issue.

In the board’s final meeting of 2009, dozens of Elon and Burlington residents crowded into the town municipal building to ask the board to approve the library’s concept designs and move the project along.
At the meeting, though, the aldermen said they weren’t sure the town could financially take on the project so soon.

Mayor Jerry Tolley echoed those sentiments Monday, saying, “Here is a hang-up this board has” — that the town doesn’t have enough money for the library.
Again, audience members — including former alderman Jo Grimley — took the opportunity to urge the board to move ahead with the project. Grimley cited an example of another town library project in Pittsboro, where more time spent fundraising brought in double the money they anticipated.

Tolley said the town had sought legal counsel on the matter. Town Manager Mike Dula said they would hear back by the end of the week. Depending on the lawyer’s opinion, the board may or may not vote on a resolution in its next meeting on Tuesday, Tolley said.

Tolley also reminded the audience that the town has two other major projects — a streetscape improvement project, including adding sidewalks and lighting along streets such as Oak Street, and plans to construct a columbarium, a place where cremation urns are stored.

Also at the meeting, Rhonda Talley, of 700 S. Williamson Drive, told the board none of the board’s minutes since 2008 were available online. Town Planner Sean Tencer said he is communicating with the third-party provider that runs the town’s Web site, which is updating the site. Tencer said the minutes will be available and up-to-date by the end of the month.

The board was also presented with Elon University’s first step in its new 10-year strategic plan. Neil Bromilow, the university’s director of planning, design and construction management, presented the school’s plans for three new residence halls to go with the two existing Colonnades residence hall buildings.

The new buildings, Colonnades C, D and E, will be almost identical to the existing Colonnades buildings. Each will be 34,000 square feet, three stories high and will provide 94 beds per building. Bromilow said the school plans to start construction in April, aiming to finish in time for the fall semester of 2011.

David Koontz is a senior journalism major at Elon University. Contact him at david.r.koontz @gmail.com