New library site approved

Spokane County Library District trustees unanimously approved a real estate and purchase agreement with University City Inc. to build a new 58,600-square-foot library on the existing U-City site.

The district is hoping voters will be just as approving come March 11 when a proposed Library Capital Facility Area and $33.4 million in 20-year general obligation bonds will be on the ballot.

“We’ve been working on this project for over two years,” said Michael Weir, library district director. “We actually began to plan in the early part of 2000 but because the city incorporated and there were issues, everything was put on hold.”

If all goes as planned a new library will meet Spokane Valley’s current and future needs and replace the existing library at 12004 E. Main Ave.

Built in 1955 and upgraded in 1986, the Valley’s current library “wasn’t built to deal with all of the technology,” said Weir. “It can’t meet the needs of what we have now. When you look at the projection of the population, we’re trying to be ahead of the curve and not struggling behind.”

Specific contingencies for the new library were outlined during Tuesday’s meeting by James Sloane, library district attorney. “The essence of the district’s position is that we want our library sited in a manner that provides the greatest public access to Sprague Avenue with secondary access from Appleway Boulevard,” he said. “Our position is very simple, we want the site we want; we want the access that we want; we want the site cleared and rough graded and if we don’t have sufficient guarantee of those events occurring then we simply won’t go forward with the purchase. We’ve been clear on that from the beginning.”

One vital contingency is a “core street” connecting the library site to Sprague Avenue. “That’s key to the development of the city center,” Weir said. “If we don’t have the road, we’ll go to the alternate site.

“If any of the contingencies fail the whole transaction fails,” Sloane emphasized.

The alternate site is the vacant lot on Sprague Avenue west of Balfour Park. “The property is owned by the Pring family,” said Beth Gillespie, communications specialist for the library district. “We’ve had discussions with them and their price fits within our budget and it’s big enough. That’s our Plan B.”

Although the trustees feel the proposed city center consisting of a city hall and retail shops would compliment the new library, their decision is not based on the passage of the city center proposal. “The library will be there with whatever comes along,” Weir said.

However, Gillespie acknowledged the significant partnership that would develop between the city and library. “The district has, in tandem, worked with the city center idea because in the long run, it works both ways; the city wants us because it’s automatic foot traffic and if retail development happens it will work both ways.”

Whether the district goes with Plan A or Plan B, a new library could be a moot issue if the voters don’t approve the formation of a Library Capital Facility Area (50 percent simple majority) and a $33.4 million in 20-year general obligation bonds (60 percent supermajority) that’s slated for a March 11 special election.

Approximately two-thirds of the $33.4 million in bonds would fund the construction of the new Spokane Valley Library, while the remainder would go toward a new branch on Conklin Road in the Veradale-Greenacres area (property already purchased), and expansion of the current Argonne branch.

If voters approve the bonds on March 11, a property tax of approximately 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation will be levied beginning in 2009, which means the owner of a $200,000 home (within the approved LCFA) would pay an additional $50 per year. Construction of the new Spokane Valley Library would begin in spring 2009 and be completed in late 2010.

“It’s on the ballot and the reason it’s on the ballot is because the cost is going up. We’ve had a plan for years and we’re actually five years behind,” Weir said.

Gillespie is preparing for a busy three months. “At the end of January we’ll have open houses and provide the public more information and answer all questions. We want to educate the public on what this means and what it means to them,” she said.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Tim Hattenburg, library district trustee and campaign chairman for The Citizens for the Greater Spokane Valley Libraries, “but people are supportive of libraries. The hardest part of any election is when you have the 60 percent (supermajority) threshold but I feel we have a good shot at it. We’ll continue to educate the public on the value of libraries and the services they’ll receive.”