A study on the renovation of Brigham Young Academy to house an expansion of the Provo City Library will be released at the end of March.
For at least 20 years, the 1892 Academy has been vacant while different groups bought and sold the property - with easements and litigation complicating efforts. It is now owned by the city of Provo.If the results of the study say the project is technically and economically feasible, a proposal will be taken first to the library board, then to the Provo City Council, said L. Douglas Smoot, fund raising director for the Brigham Young Academy Foundation.
Smoot wants to renovate the Academy's Education Building and College Hall into a high-tech, spacious building for the library. The interior of the Academy buildings would be altered, but the historical elements, like the facade, would be maintained, he said.
The foundation plans to request only the funds that Provo City would pay for a library expansion and new city office space. Any additional funds would be raised through donors.
"If the proposal is approved, we have big steps left," Smoot said, "namely, fund raising."
Smoot said his proposal is different than previous attempts to renovate the buildings mainly because they would be used for the purpose of education and they are now owned by the city and not a private agency.
Library Director Julie Farnsworth said circulation has doubled in the last five years.
"We certainly will pursue expansion whether it's Academy Square or elsewhere," she said.
The firm of Max J. Smith and Associates of Salt Lake is serving as the head architect in the feasibility study along with experts in electrical, mechanical, structural and seismic areas. A library architect and consultant also are on the team.