On Nov. 2, 2010, Lawrence voters will decide the fate of an $18 million proposal to expand Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt. From 12 to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 13 Mike Machell, Lawrence Public Library board member, and Alice Ann Johnston, co-chair of the “Vote YES for the Library” steering committee, were available via live chat to answer your questions about the proposal.

noprshtr

Why are we spending $18 million on a library when we have pothole cratered roads and most the information in the library is available on the internet?

Gedanken

The Northeast Kansas Library System has set standards on what levels of service each library type should provide. According to them, a major resource library like the Lawrence Public Library should have at least 150 computers and internet connectivity that is equivalent to multiple T1 lines. How did they determine the number of computers that is recommended for a major resource library? Is 150 public computers reasonable? What type of internet connection does the library have now and what will it have after the expansion?

Gedanken

The Northeast Kansas Library System standards indicate that a major resource library should expend a minimum of 50% of its annual budget on personnel compensation (Item 32). Why do they specify how we should spend our library budget? Does this mean that for every $100 we increase the library funding by – only $50 actually gets used for books? I believe we need to pay fair wages for a fair days work, but the idea of having a budget dictated by outside means doesn’t seem right.

kugrad

The drawing used to promote this shows a nice view of the outside of the library. Won’t this view be blocked by a parking structure?

zstoltenberg

More than 4 million of the proposed project is to fund a parking garage to double the number of parking spaces at the current location. Because this parking is used for the swimming pool, various downtown businesses, the senior center, etc. it seems that the inadequate parking at the site is not tied to the library itself, rather the surrounding uses. As a voter, I would be more likely to support this if the budgets that already exist were to be tapped to pay for improvements and expansions for the parking that serves the surrounding uses. What other sources of funding are available and could be used to fund the parking structure? As a taxpayer, I do not support raising taxes to supply parking spaces for private business and overbuilt areas.

HedleyLamarrr

Could you be more specific about these “back office functions” that prevent you from opening satellite locations. It seems like what is needed is more meeting space and computers, which shouldn’t require complicated logistics.

Cwriter

I’m concerned it sounds like the focus is on the building and a parking garage, and not on the services and materials offered at the library. I think you briefly touched on this in an earlier question. I think the focus should be on improving available materials, increasing the numbers of books available (especially new releases, books written by a wider range of diverse authors), etc. Where does the purchasing of more books for the library fall in the plan?

pizzapete

What are you doing to address parking for the library? It’s difficult to find a place to park when the pool is open next door and all the swimmers take over the library’s parking.

wmathews

How much would it cost to park in the proposed three-level parking garage?

wmathews

How do you plan to use the additional 20,000 square feet in the proposal? Is it space for books, or are there other amenities you’d like to add?

wmathews

What would be the hours of the drive-through book drop-off proposed for the west side of the library?

wmathews

Why do you feel the expansion is necessary now vs. a few years down the road?

wmathews

Along with the computer additions, would you use some of the money to expand other digital efforts? Like renting Kindles or iPads?

kuspiderman

Two questions:
1. My main concern is the parking garage, which will likely be utilized by pool patrons, Eldridge guests and other downtown businesses. Why is this part of the plan? Can it be subsidized by pool patrons or increased by another level and have that level sold to the Eldridge to help pay for it? What happens to the revenue from the garage meters? Does the library share in any revenue from these spots?
2. Why does the community library not work closer with KU libraries to serve both audiences and share facilities, expense and holdings? KU has multiple libraries and is changing Anschutz to better serve students. What is the city of Lawrence doing to adjust and better serve the community?

WHY

Why does the public need to fund free meeting rooms and a free parking garage for downtown under the guise of it being a library expansion when the current library has more books than we could ever read and more movies than we could ever watch.

beatnik

why isn’t it made clear to the voting public that the parking is not library parking but is public parking for the downtown and swimming pool general area and should not be attached to the library vote.

Moderator

Welcome to our live chat with Mike Machell, Lawrence Public Library board member, and Alice Ann Johnston, co-chair of the “Vote YES for the Library” steering committee! We’re ready to start taking questions, so feel free to submit at any time.

Library Board

We are happy to be available to you to answer your questions about the library expansion project.

tonyewert

I would like to understand the $18MM estimated price for the project. Can we get a breakdown of the cost of the various project elements? i.e. cost to construct for renovation, parking, addition, architectural costs, furnishings, etc.
Thank you!

Library Board

The $18 million includes $13.7 million for the cost of renovating the existing structure and $4.3 million for the parking garage. Please be aware that the Library Foundation is also being asked to raise an additional $1 million mainly for furnishings and other enhancements. Although there is a more specific breakdown of costs, note also that the final architectural plans won’t be developed until the referendum passes.

Kansas_Girl

You said that his proposal is modest in comparison to the last proposal – how do they compare?

Library Board

There were a number of proposals made in 2006 that totaled about $30 million – $20 million for the library and $10 million for parking. Most of these contemplated locations other than the current site. The current proposal is $18 million total.

Moderator

Many LJW commenters have said that as Lawrence expands west they feel a satellite branch on the far end of town would be a better use of funding. Are additional locations part of your short-term or long-term vision for the library?

Library Board

It is part of our long-term vision for the library. Right now we could not handle the logistics of operating remote sites in the current facility. We need the improvements contemplated in the referendum to make our back-office functions more efficient. At this point, we feel it is best to invest in a fully functional downtown library that meets all of our current needs and determine how to address satellites at a future time. Moreover, the feedback from our outreach efforts in the community prior to bringing this to the city commission indicated that there was significant support for a downtown library.

Mari

I remember some discussion a few years ago concerning the relatively small number of books and new purchases at the LPL as compared to libraries in cities of a similar size.

What will the expansion mean for the collection itself?

Library Board

We can’t be specific at this time about the exact number of books to be added, but we are adding 20,000 square feet and some of that will be dedicated to additional space for the collection.

kugrad

If the proposal passes, won’t the operating costs of the library increase due to larger areas to heat, cool, light, and clean? How do you plan to fund this increased cost?

Library Board

Yes, however we anticipate that upgrades in the HVAC will provide us with efficiencies that we are not currently receiving. These upgrades will result in savings in the operating costs of the building. The HVAC on the existing building is from the original construction in 1972. We are planning to apply for LEED certification once the architectural design is completed. Administrative costs will be determined after the library is completed, but we estimate that will require an additional 0.5 mil cost to operate a larger facility. The city commission will add that amount to the library’s mil levy.

Moderator

Many users want to know if — in addition to the added computers — you will make room for other electronics like iPads, Kindles and iPods?

Library Board

We certainly need to keep up with changes in new technology as we continue to assess the services we provide to the community. Recall that 20-25 years ago, we didn’t offer much in the way of music and now CDs and DVDs are quite common and popular items checked out of the library. We didn’t have computers either. Our challenge is to continue to provide these services so that everyone in the community has equal access to information.

dsimons

First, let me acknowledge that I am part owner of the Riverfront mall property, adjacent property and an officer with the World Company. Regardless of any personal benefit, I believe there are alternatives to the $18 million library expansion plan that is being presented for a public vote.
I believe the following scenario deserves consideration. These numbers were sent on June 18th to library board members and city commission members. I never heard one word back.
$1.7 million: Buy Abe and Jakes. 20,000 square feet, large public entertaining, reading, meeting, and coffee shop space on the river, on city land.
$4.5 million: Buy the west half of the Riverfront Plaza. Three levels, 70,000 square feet, 230 cat-5 Ethernet wired computer stations, 500 parking stalls, all on city land.
$5 million: Renovate the 40,000 square feet on floors one and two at $125/square foot.
For $11 million, Lawrence could have a beautiful 90,000-square-foot library, on the river, with a 500-stall existing parking structure, all on city-owned land and enhancing the city’s relationship to the river. And the community library still would be downtown.
All work could be done with no interruption to current library operations. The city then could sell the existing library space to help finance the project. Who knows? Possibly a downtown grocery might materialize.
I’ve been told an excuse for not considering this is that the Plaza is not class A property. Why would the city government need class A property in these times? I’ve heard some people don’t think the facility can structurally support the weight of stacks of books. This is untrue; we have provided engineering studies that show it can.
This space also offers the possibility for future expansion. For about $7 million (at $200 a square foot), a 35,000-square-foot glassed indoor space could be created on the Plaza roof overlooking the river.
This idea and other alternatives deserve to be publicly discussed.

question
why was this not publicly discussed , what was the process to eliminate alternative ideas

Library Board

The feedback we received from our public outreach was significantly supportive of keeping the library at the existing site. As for your question about the process to eliminate alternative ideas, there was a study session that included the library, city commissioners, architects and others that looked at various design options prior to submitting a final proposal to the city commission.

LibraryLover

As you can tell by my username, I am a frequent visitor to and supporter of the Lawrence Public Library, but like many people, I’m a little curious about the timing. Considering the current economic conditions, is right now the best time for such a project? Thanks!

Library Board

We think it is. Use of the library is up significantly – about 10-12% per year. Circulation also continues to increase. We average 50,000 patrons a month. During the recession, Lawrence citizens looked to the library to meet their informational and entertainment needs and the library was able to help them. We have also seen that the cost of construction and interest rates make this a very good time to invest in the city’s infrastructure. It will never be more cost effective to do this than now.

HedleyLamarrr

Where are the funds for the ‘yes for the library.org’ coming from? Are there any taxpayer dollars going to fund the campaign or are these all private donations?

Library Board

“Vote YES for the Library” is funded through private donations. It is a grass-roots organization with a steering committee of 92 members.

Moderator

We had many questions about the proposed parking garage. Can you explain the logistics of the parking garage — specifically size, location and who will be allowed to park in the garage? Many users are specifically concerned about overflow parking from the pool during the summer.

Library Board

The proposed parking garage would be built in the same location as the current parking lot. It would increase the number of spaces from 125 to about 250. There would be entrances off both Kentucky and Vermont streets. As proposed, the parking structure is intended to address parking needs for the pool, library, senior center and other downtown businesses. So anyone would be able to park there just as they do in the parking lot the library currently uses.

kugrad

What were the three most frequently mentioned criticisms of the proposal found during public input?
How did you change the proposal based on this input? What is your response to these criticisms (be specific please).

Library Board

1. Is now the right time? I believe we addressed that issue in an earlier posting. We didn’t change the proposal, but we definitely considered this concern when determining the overall cost of the project. We didn’t believe that a $30 million project was feasible at this time – as was proposed in 2006.

2. Why not satellites? I believe that we responded to this concern as well in an earlier post. Our approach in the short-term was to consider options for providing service (such as a drive-up service window) to patrons who did not have time to park and come in to the building. Long-term we believe that satellites are still a possibility once we have the functionality to handle it in the future.

3. Parking garage. There were some who expressed concern that $4.3 million of the total project would be spent to enhance parking. We felt that this was necessary because there are parking issues with respect to the pool and other downtown needs. We felt that we needed to do this for the project to work.

beePOSITIVE

Assuming that the proposal passes the vote what is the estimated completion date for the project?

Library Board

We believe 9-12 months for completing the architectural work and 9-12 months for construction. We anticipate completion sometime in latter part of 2012. Obviously these are broad numbers right now, so could change once the architectural planning work begins.

justtemp

What studies were done (and by whom) to determine what library facilities Lawrence needs now? How long would the expanded library be expected to satisfy the city’s needs?

Library Board

A feasibility study was conducted by Gould Evans to determine what we could do and what the likely cost would be. The requested tax increase is planned for 20 years, so our planning for an expanded library is targeted to some time beyond that time frame. Our planning has considered needs for the next 25-30 years. Obviously, future growth of Lawrence may change those numbers.

Moderator

We have about 15 minutes left in our live chat with Lawrence Public Library board member Mike Machell and Alice Ann Johnston, co-chair of the “Vote YES for the Library” steering committee. There is still time for a few last-minute questions. You can submit them below. (Great questions so far!)

LibraryLover

I mostly use the upper level of the library for books, music, etc, but I hear many people throw around the argument that its only “homeless people” who use the computers and therefore we don’t need more. Is this true? Who uses the library computers? What do they use them for?

Library Board

Everyone uses the library computers. We had 10,000 users in the month of July alone. People are using the computers to do research, look for jobs, work on homework, and for social networking. A study commissioned by the University of Washington Information School and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation estimated that 1/3 of Americans – about 77 million people – use the library for their computer needs. We believe very strongly that the mission of the public library is to ensure that everyone in the community has access to vital information they need to improve their lives.

justtemp

dsimons’ question has me wondering, what happens if the current proposal fails? Would the board go back to less expensive alternative proposals?

Library Board

We aren’t expecting it to fail. If it did, we would continue to provide the best service to the community we can in the existing facility. However, we do not think that the current library facility can continue to meet those needs. We would definitely need to consider future proposals, but I don’t know that I can say right now what those would be.

Gedanken

One of the reasons for the expansion of the computer labs is to ensure we maintain the library’s ability to secure grants from the Northeast Kansas Library System. How many grants have we secured in the past 5 years from them and what was the dollar amount?

Library Board

That’s a good question. There are really a couple of reasons we want to meet accreditation standards that NEKLS sets for libraries. One is that the standards represent “best library practice” for a community our size. So if we are not meeting these standards, then we are under-serving our community. We obviously don’t want to do that. The grant funding amount at risk is approximately $50-75k, which may not sound like a lot of money, but we need to preserve every funding source we have.

trew

If the plan passes and a new garage is built, will all of it be metered parking or will some if it be free 2hr parking like the existing parking garage.

Library Board

That’s a decision that the city ultimately will need make. However, our understanding is that it would continue to be metered parking just as it is today.

Cwriter

I find the local library limited on its available resources. I frequently have to do an interlibrary loan to obtain the materials/resources I need. Are there plans to improve the library’s available resources?

Library Board

We will be seeking to expand in a number of areas. The children’s area will double in size, we will triple the number of public computers, and double the meeting room space. Obviously, some space will be used to enhance the collection, particularly for popular items that generate long wait times for our patrons. Inter-library loan is available now; it would depend on the types of items you are using to know for certain whether those would be more available to you in an expanded library.

Moderator

Unfortunately, we are out of time! I’d like to thank Lawrence Public Library board member Mike Machell and Alice Ann Johnston, co-chair of the “Vote YES for the Library” steering committee for joining us for the chat today and for answering our users’ questions.

The transcript will be available online immediately following the close of the live chat. Thank you everyone for your participation!

Library Board

Obviously this topic has generated a lot of interest and we appreciate everyone’s questions and input. We hope that everyone will get out to vote on November 2nd!