Old library may become county elections office

As construction commences on Coeur d’Alene’s new library, Kootenai County officials said they might be interested in acquiring the building that houses the old one.

Preliminary conversations between city and county officials have pondered the possibility of relocating the county elections office to the nearly 40-year-old building at 201 E. Harrison Ave.

“We do have an issue with our elections building. We have looked at it,” said Kootenai County Commissioner Katie Brodie, who added that discussions are “very premature.”

Housed in the former county prosecutor’s office, the elections office space is cramped and plagued with leaks, said County Clerk Dan English.

Conversations about the potential move began last year, after voters approved $3 million in bonds for the library, said David McDowell, county finance director. County officials are still waiting for the city to determine a selling price, he added.

Library officials have said they expect to raise about $1 million from the sale of the East Harrison Avenue building. The county has reserves available for acquisition of public space, Ingalls said.

But Jon Ingalls, Coeur d’Alene’s deputy city administrator, said several steps must be met before any firm price is set. The building must be declared surplus, and an appraisal must be completed. County assessment records indicate the building has a market value of about $463,000.

“We’re still 15 months out before we start moving books,” Ingalls said.

County officials are not the only parties interested in the building, said Troy Tymesen, Coeur d’Alene finance director. The fate of the library building has been the subject of a few informal inquiries, he said.

Starting Monday, city officials will close streets and a parking lot near the downtown site of the $7.2 million library project. Construction of the 38,500-square-foot building will more than double the current space for books and patrons, officials said.