City Council Committee Agendas

Mount Vernon City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes August 30, 2017 Present: Mayor Boudreau, Council members Fiedler, Hudson, Hulst, Lindquist, Molenaar, Quam, and Ragan. Library Board of Trustees members Katie Armagost, Hal Verrell, Frank Repplier, Margaret Redfern, and Bill Craig. Library Foundation Board members, Peter Goldfarb, Marija Anderson, and Roger Ragusa Library Staff: Library Director Isaac Huffman, Library Specialist Carissa Mason Citizens Present: 8 CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Mr. Molenaar at 6pm. Mr. Molenaar announced that this City Council session will not include much citizen participation, as the Library board and City Council intend to come to a decision about moving forward towards a new library. a. BRIEF REVIEW OF CURRENT STATE OF LIBRARY: Mr. Huffman gave a PowerPoint presentation on why the library needs change. The main reasons are that the building is too small, not flexible, and compares on the bottom end of the spectrum for cites their size. Mr. Huffman outlined four options for a new library space: 1. Repair and Remodel, which would cost 2-4 million and be 2,000-4,000 square feet. 2. Repair and Expand, which cost 6-8 million and be 6,000-12,000 square feet. 3. Build a new free standing building at a cost of 9-12 million with 25,000-30,000 square feet. 4. Build a new mixed used library, which would cost 2-8 million and be 20,000-30,000 square feet. Mr. Huffman is asking for a 24,000-30,000 square foot library size. b. STATEMENT BY BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Mr. Craig read a letter addressed to the City Council addressing the need for a new library. The letter conveyed that libraries serve educational needs throughout all ages. Therefore, they need to reestablish the Mount Vernon City Library in order to meet the needs of the community. The Board of Trustees urged council to take action now to start a new library, and believe that the first step to accomplish this is to select a tangible site location in order to decide on a building type and cost. c. STATEMENT BY LIBRARY FOUNDATION: Mr. Ragusa read a letter from the Library Foundation that addressed that it has been far too long since the Mount Vernon Library has been without a new library. The letter urges the city to find  new ways to pool money to fund a new library. The Library Foundation will work to build community enthusiasm for a new library and raise funds. d. DISCUSSION OF LIBRARY PROJECT a. What size project: Mayor Boudreau said that the council has been active in their discussion to figure out the size range for a new library. One idea is using property that the school district owns. Mayor Boudreau mapped out that today’s session will provide a guidance outline for a preferred size range. Mayor Boudreau offered the idea of taking six weeks to look at a standalone building with a partnership of some sort. Mr. Fielder mentioned to look into how ownership works in a mixed use building. Mr. Huffman addressed why he believes 20-30,000 square feet is the optimal range. For one, is it doubled the size of the Library now, and it would match up with current and future library demands. Additionally, the library does not need extra space for shelving, as usage of digital materials increase. There should be just enough space for the use of physical materials that are regularly being used. Quality is more valuable than quantity for space. Mr. Hulst noticed that the space for staff at the Mount Vernon City Library is especially inadequate. Mr. Huffman agreed, and said that there is not a desk space for two full time employees. Mr. Huffman said that a flexible work space is ideal for employees. Mr. Verrell commented that he procures furniture for Western Washington University, and that there are several ways to incorporate movable and flexible furniture to make space. Mr. Verrell said that due to this, a space around 40,000 square feet for a library would be too much. b. What is the funding approach? TBD by building type. c. What are targets for city council action? For a timeline outline, Mayor Boudreau said that from today to next 4-6 weeks they will start flushing the options out. The goal is to have a sight decision at the end of the year. The time line in 2018 from January to June will include talking to partners to create a visual of a new library concept. e. COUNCIL GUIDANCE TO THE BOARD AND FOUNDATION: Mr. Fielder said he would like to rearrange Mr. Huffman’s timeline order to finding a location first and then start building. If a partnership with the new building is found without interrupting the construction, they can move forward with it. Mr. Fielder said that it was important to build a new stand-alone facility first, since a partnership could be difficult. Ms. Hudson said she prefers the public-private partnership because it is more cost-effective. Mr. Hulst agreed with Mr. Fielder, since now is the time for the project to actually start. Mr. Hulst said that is a good idea to look at the rules and what the library can build for. Mr. Ragan said he would not like to rule out the idea of a partnership with housing. He said that Mount Vernon has serious housing issues in the community. Mr. Lindquist said that once we have a sight, it  will be easier to make a decision on a new library. Mr. Molenaar agreed with Mr. Lindquist that it comes down to the site. Mr. Molenaar said that there are a lot of ideas out there, and they need to figure out their exact vision and goals for this project. Mr. Lindquist said he was not against private-public partnerships, but thinks they have to do their homework on researching into these ideas. f. DISCUSSION OF NEXT STEPS: Mayor Boudreau wrote down that 20,000- 30,000 feet would be the selected size choice for a new library. Mayor Boudreau said she heard that the consensus was to take the next six weeks to look at a shared space co-op, and make a comparison. Mr. Hulst asked for a joint meeting with Library Board and Foundation in October. Mayor Boudreau agreed, but said that budget introductions are coming up and might set this back. Mayor Boudreau concluded that they would figure out a date in October to coordinate with budgets. She will get that date out early next week, and go from there. g. ADJOURN: There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 7:16 SUBMITTED BY: ______________________________ Carissa Mason, Library Specialist