Since 2001, hundreds of thousands of book lovers have admired the grandeur and beauty of the Poland Library. 

This nationally recognized building is well-loved here in the Mahoning Valley but recently underwent a handful of changes. They're upgrades that the public, along with the original design team aren't too happy with. Head architect Bob Mastriana says certain design aspects don't meet the vision of the space. 

"Our goal is to correct some of those things done so poorly," Bob Mastriana said. "The finest libraries in the world are just exactly what Poland once had."

The landmark recently saw upgrades to its carpets, lighting, and outside brickwork. The design and style are also being reworked with the majority of the original paintings, plants, and seating now gone.

"Everything that gets done in Poland, whether when it's first built or is getting remodeled, had to go through the design review board," Mastriana said. "Well, they didn't do that. They just did it without anyone knowing about it."

The original design crew along with some community members say the changes are "all wrong." The upgrades feature a modern carpet style, different lighting tones, removal of donated artwork and busts, and new chairs that don't align with the original plans.

According to a letter addressed to Mastriana from Library Director Aimee Fifarek, "The Library no longer accepts decorative items per our Fine Art Gift policy, approved by the Board of Trustees in 2003. For decorative items accepted prior to this date, it is our practice to return those which we no longer intend to keep to the donor/artist if they so desire."

This means a bust collection, donated by Mastriana, along with a variety of art pieces including a pond boat collection donated from Trustee Emeritus, Ken Wilson, will be given back to the owners or discarded. 

Mastriana said these decisions are coming from Director Fifarek, who Mastriana said doesn't have a background in traditional design and is not listening to community members concerns.

"The lights perform very poorly," said Jason Doctor, Lighting Designer with Shine On LED. "Which produces a lot of eye strain and really kind of doesn't light the space the way traditional architecture should be lit."

"You need to find out what the pulse of the community is and that can be very valuable to you as you do something like this," said Larry Warren of Poland. 

"They went such high gloss on all those 200-year-old antique floors," Mastriana said. "And that's also a very, very difficult thing for people with eyesight disabilities to have that. None of the floor should have a high gloss ornament, ruining the look of it."

Mastriana added more unnecessary changes involved tearing out all the bricks behind the building and replacing them with pink-stained concrete. "We want to know where those bricks are because they should have been gifted to the community because we paid for them through our donations. We'd like to know for sure where all the lights are," Mastriana added. 

"We did change the carpet and paint," explained Maggie Henderson, Strategic Communications Officer with the Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County. "In terms of the things that were removed, we are adhearing to modern library standards. We have smaller, shorter stacks, so you can see above them so people can have a clear line of sight, not just for safety, but for people to have those community conversations and connect with their neighbors and to be able to have more room for reading and to be able to come into the Library as more of a communal place."

The Library told 21 News these upgrades were needed and approved by the board along with Fifarek. They did agree to some of Mastriana's suggestions but needed to do what was best for the building.

"We are also a building that is used every day and is in high use," Henderson explained. "So, we have to choose materials that are not only sustainable but also that will look good for multiple people if not hundreds of people walking through the doors every day."

"Service is at the heart of everything that we do," Henderson said. "And that's the goal that we strive for every day, is to provide the best service to the community as a Library. We have a bidding process and architects can submit bids. We chose one of those architects that submitted a bid who we've worked with before in the past."

"All they had to do was consult with us and just talk with us out of courtesy even," Mastriana said. "And we didn't even get that respect. All we were for was to help and to keep the integrity of the building." 

Mastriana does want these renovations altered and for the original decor to be placed back on display to get the building back to it's original glory.

"No other community has contributed to the Mahoning County library system like Poland has," Mastriana said. "And when you invest $1,000,000 into this building, you would think out of courtesy that you would have consideration to be involved in it all the way through because that's what they have professed to all of the people that donated."

Mastriana also pointed to deteriorating exteriors on and around the building that are in need of repair. 

Fifarek concluded the letter to Mastriana saying, "We are grateful for the work your firm did designing a building that is such a point of pride for the Poland community. We are also grateful for what you and your family did to help that design become a reality. In return, I ask that you trust the leadership of the Public
Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County (PLYMC) to do the job of the responsible owner, ensuring that the building is regularly maintained and updated to meet the needs of its community.'

The Library told 21 News they spend taxpayer's dollars wisely and are still in the renovation process with several projects.