Editorial: Shade 4th Street Square with wooden trusses from old library?

The architect for the new district library, Dan Whisler, was reading his Independent a few weeks ago when he had a good idea.
He was reading about how the Belleville DDA was looking at proposals to shade the Fourth Street Square.
Whisler thought that maybe the wooden trusses over the main room of the current library could be used at the Fourth Street Square. The tongue-in-groove decking could be erected on new metal supports.
He went over and measured the 45’x45’ compass in the floor of the square and figured the 40’x50’ library trusses would provide a substantial pavilion. The clerestory windows in the library roof would provide light. He drew it out on a Google map of the square.
At Tuesday’s Belleville Area District Library meeting he said that part of the library has served the community since 1992 and this would help it live on. The library has “a sense of place” enjoyed by the community that could be preserved, he said.
Whisler noted relocating the library roof to a new location wouldn’t cost less money for the shading project, but it would be something creative to consider. He said a new metal roof on it could offer shelter. The current library roof leaks.
The idea of preserving part of the library at the Square is quite appealing, don’t you agree? The old library won’t be ready for demolition until 2020, so we’ve all got time to think about it.