Spokane Valley leaders still optimistic about new library

Over the past couple of weeks it has become clear that the Spokane Valley City Council desires a library across the street from the new city hall on East Sprague Avenue.

How it’s going to accomplish that feat remains up in the air.

At the Aug. 30 council meeting, Spokane County Library District Director Nancy Ledeboer gave the annual library update and also made it clear that the district has no intentions of floating another bond to pay for a new library.

A bond was rejected by voters twice, and the Spokane County Library District board has decided to move on, she said.

The library district purchased the land on East Sprague Avenue from Spokane Valley on the condition that it could sell it back to the city for the same price if the bond didn’t pass.

That agreement expires in fall 2017, but the district has asked for the deal to go back now.

On Monday, Mayor Rod Higgins encouraged the library district to not give up yet, but said it’s limited what the city can do to help.

“We can’t give them the land,” Higgins said, “but we are very interested in helping them.”

He said voters had perhaps been confused by the bond vote which also required a yes vote on the establishment of a new taxing district.

“Maybe we can provide advice on a new campaign and help get the word out there,” Higgins said.

Councilman Ed Pace said he has encouraged Ledeboer to look into the formation of private partnerships and also the creation of a more aggressive fundraising group.

“We need a sort of super Friends of the Library,” Pace said, referring to the volunteer group that sells used library books as a fundraiser for the library. “We’d need the support of a bunch of businesses and groups like Lions and Kiwanis.”

Pace was opposed to the library bond because it didn’t convince him he’d get a better library.

“They would still have to have a value proposition that speaks to me,” Pace said. “I want more books. I don’t care about all the computer stuff they do. You don’t need a new library building to do that.”

The library district has about 500,000 items in its collection.

The library was asking voters to approve a $22 million bond, which would pay for two new libraries and significant updates at the Argonne Library.

It’s not clear how much just one library would cost. Higgins said he would expect it to be between $10 million and $15 million.

“But we don’t know yet, we have to wait and see what they say,” Higgins said.

Without a new library, Spokane Valley also must decide what to do with the vacant plot of land, as well as the adjoining lot which was proposed to be developed as Balfour Park.

The estimated cost of Balfour Park as designed was $3.9 million, but funding was never allocated.

There’s no timeline for when the Balfour Park master plan may come up for revision, nor has a funding source been found.