Long Longed-For, Holmdel Library at Bell Works Opens Dec. 18

HOLMDEL, NJ - With an understated listing on its Facebook page, Holmdel trumpeted that its new $1.7 million public library will open to clients and customers 1 p.m. Dec. 18.

And while there alreay have been tours and talks and even a ribbon-cutting, what matters most of all is what readers and viewers and users think of the new facility. Mayor Gregory Buontempo tells his residents that it is not just a library.

"It is inviting for all who come," the mayor said in a video posted on the Holmdel website, He said he would like to see it referred to as a library and learning center because of its innovative and interactive nature.

Architect Anthony Iovino agrees, speaking of the "synergy" between the library and its location, within the Bell Works building which boasts technology-heavy businesses, retail and a cafe and restaurant. Bell Works will bring people to the library and the library will bring people to Bell Works, said Iovino, calling the library "unique.

"It is not just about library," Iovino said. "It is about community."

The old, overcrowded Holmdel Library shut its doors Dec. 6 so staff could begin moving books over to the new site, Buontempo has said.

The library, which previously was scheduled to open just before Thanksgiving, was delayed for minor fixes. The carpeting was custom and had to be installed before the custom furniture could come in.

The Township Committee has been doing what it must administratively to make sure the library project is on track. The committee on Nov. 28 introduced a measure to appropriate $100,000, primarily to serve as a down payment for the bonds or bond anticipation notes officials plan to issue to support the construction.
A public hearing on the bond measure was scheduled for Dec. 12.

After negotiating with Somerset. the Bell Works developer, Holmdel made the decision earlier this year to move the library out of its cramped, 3,000-square-foot space in the basement of town hall to an airy 18,000-square-foot new home at Bell Works, which will be loaded with new technology and online resources.

The new library is located inside Bell Works; patrons park in the front parking lot and walk in the main entrance to access it, just passed the atrium. The library will provide free WiFi and computer work stations. The township currently is building a sidewalk on Crawfords Corner Road to connect the high school, about a mile away, to Bell Works.

The library will boast several private "break-out rooms," which will feature drop-down screens, computers and projectors to help people collaborate on projects. Classroom space also is provided and it is the mayor's hope that Holmdel Schools Superintendent Robert McGarry will bring science and math classes over from the high school for lectures inside the library, where they will meet and talk with employees from Bell Works technology companies.

A Montessori school is planned next to the library, also inside the atrium, Buontempo has said. The Montessori school will serve the children of employees at Bell Works as well as others in the area.

The library was built as part of a $1.7 million deal between Holmdel and Bell Works owner and Somerset Development. Holmdel pushed for the developer to provide library space and Somerset provided $1 million toward the project. The remaining money was cobbled together by the Holmdel Library Foundation via fundraising and private donations from exiting Bell Works tenants.The bonds are the next step.

The library also will seek to educate visitors about the rich history of Holmdel's Bell Labs site, the 1960s-era AT&T technology behemoth, where soft- and hard-ware developed that eventually led to the creation of the cell phone, fiber optics and military radar, officials said.

New library circulation area readies for business. Opening Day is Monday. Photograph by Carly Baldwin/Patch Staff.