A desire for the architects to “soften” the design of the new library in Madisonville that would allow the building to “fit into the town,” a group of citizens Wednesday night asked for a resolution from the town council asking the library board to delay approval of the design as presented last week.

Library board member and Madisonville resident Capt. David Stefferud offered to speak on behalf of the council and the citizens and present the resolution to the Library Board, which meets next Thursday.

While citizens agree it’s a nice building with an extremely function and pleasing interior, many residents, including those who live near the building’s site, said the building has too many angles and squares, not aesthetically pleasing.

Shown is a rendering of the design for the new Madisonville branch library.

One resident said the architects did not capture the flavor of Madisonville in the exterior design of the building.

There was also confusion as to whether the design was completed. Stefferud said the materials and details for the exterior have not been decided upon. Whether this included the actual design became unclear to residents and councilman, adding another reason to delay approval until architects can submit another design and a meeting be held at the Maritime Museum.

Even councilmen were confused as to whether the design was a “done deal.” Councilman Tim Bounds asked, “What’s the harm in asking for three or four drawings of the exterior showing options in what the town wants?”

Councilman Mark Badeaux said, “At the meeting it sounded like a done deal.”

Mayor Peter Gitz agreed that consideration should be given to “make everyone, or at least most, of the people happy with it.”

The spur of the moment resolution simply stated that “The mayor and the town council, along with several citizens, requests the Library Board delay approval of the Madisonville library plans to allow plans of the exterior to be reviewed.”

Gitz recommended that citizens bring pictures of what they would want included in the building’s design.

The resolution passed unanimously.

In other business, the old library building renovation requires $25,000 to $40,000 more than originally budgeted in order to complete needed renovations. Gitz said the building has more termite damage and was a larger scale project then it appeared on the surface but is a good, usable building. Remaining projects are simple, but costly and include painting both the interior and the exterior, repairing windows and laying ceramic tile on the floor.

Other business included the acceptance of the MWPP or Municipal Water Pollution Prevention environmental audit on the town’s sewereage treatment facility. Curtis Environmental conducted the audit and Mike Curtis delivered the findings to the council at the meeting. A score of 85 of a possible 560 was received for the city, which is a good score. However, a much lower score is the norm for the town.

Curtis explained the rise in scores in the measurement process used by the city for the discharge of waste is conducted monthly rather than more often. Rain and weather can play a part in rising these measurements and when samples are only taken once a month, the scores can easily rise. To combat these factors, Curtis recommended increase the frequency of testing to offset scores by rainy weather. The council agreed to increase the testing to twice a month. Each test is $25. All other indicators of the report were low. The council passed a resolution accepting the report unanimously.

In other discussions, continued speeding on residential streets has garnered the city a “stack of tickets” but the problem continues. Moe tickets and patrolling will follow.

Also, a water problem at the end of the line will be tested to determine if there is a problem. The city’s old pipe system can produce rusty colored water but while not pleasant to look at, it is safe to drink. Bounds said he has seen the water in question and would not want to consume it. The water will be tested to determine the problem and a solution.

Signage is needed for the $10 fee charged to boaters that dock and plug into the city’s electricity. While Gitz said the donations are keeping pace with the electricity used, many boaters are unaware of the need to pay the fee. The council decided better signage is needed and action will be taken.

The city’s new website is under construction and webmaster Bill Prudhomme has three objectives for the site: a tool for communication; answers to frequently asked questions so users can easily find answers and relieve the city staff; and a tool to collect and preserve the history of the town through photos and stories online. Anyone with information is asked to contact him through the Web site www.townofmadisonville.org.