Library Ready to Discuss Expansion Plans

FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville residents Ethel Simpson and Ann Waligorski sat drinking iced tea inside the entry foyer of the city’s public library, which was full of people Friday.

A couple of tables over from the pair of friends, Bentonville resident Tammy Schwartz typed away on her laptop doing business. Schwartz, a vendor to Walmart for the lawn and garden company Misco, uses the library as her office every weekday while she waits for her autistic son to finish school in the city, she said.

At A Glance

Public Input Sessions

The Fayetteville Public Library will host two public meetings to gather input on future library services and expansion.

When: 3 p.m. Aug. 4 and 5:30 p.m Aug. 5

Where: Walker Community Room, Fayetteville Public Library, 401 W. Mountain St.

Source: Fayetteville Public Library

Winslow resident John Collier stood not far from Schwartz in front of a large conceptual layout of the Wedington Drive area’s growth plans, which include space for a branch library.

“There’s tons of people that come up here, all different walks of life,” Schwartz said. “The homeless use it during the day so they have refuge. I’ve seen people come in with backpacks. I’ve seen executives looking for a place to meet. You have all different walks of life that utilize the library for different reasons.”

Library administrators have big expansion plans for the Fayetteville Public Library. David Johnson, library director, said he will hold two public input sessions about library expansion Aug. 4 and 5 to review a 157-page 2030 Master Plan.

Expansion opportunities, according to the plan, include the potential purchase of property south of the existing library, branches in other areas and even book vending machines spread throughout the city.

Think of Redbox, the machines that rent movies for $1.20, but with free books.

“I believe in a crawl, walk and run philosophy,” Johnson said. “So, a good way to crawl into this (branch expansion) and figure out if we can even stand up is to go with one of the vending devices, as an option. That conversation is wide open. I’m not taking anything off the table.”

The existing library opened in 2004. Fayetteville voters approved a temporary sales tax that collected $19.3 million between 2000 and 2002 to help pay for the $23 million construction project. A fundraising campaign also raised $8.1 million to help pay for the cost.

By The Numbers

Fayetteville Public Library

The Fayetteville Public Library’s 2030 Master Plan assumes a 115,000 city population in 2035.

• The current book collection at the end of 2012 was 265,799 plus 5,405 digital books and 11,239 magazines. The 2030 plan recommends a collection of 300,000 items.

• The library has more than 60,000 audio and video recordings, such as DVDs and audio books. David Johnson, executive director, said the library should have 100,000 items by 2030.

• The library has 164 computers for public use. That number should grow to 180, according to the 2030 Master Plan.

• The library had nearly 1.3 million items borrowed outs of a collection of 271,204 books and nonprint materials, such as DVDs and audio books, plus 5,405 digital books in 2012.

Source: Staff Report

The 2030 Master Plan has line graphs showing expected growth in item checkouts, membership, collection size and program attendance.

The library has 67,428 members, or 88 percent of the city’s population, according to the report. The national average is 57 percent, Johnson said.

Libraries in the four large cities in Northwest Arkansas do not have branches. Fort Smith has two branches. The Central Arkansas Library System, which includes Little Rock, has 15 branches, according to its website.

Vending machines could serve as a litmus test for possible branch locations, Johnson said. If people use them, that could be a sign of interest in an actual branch location, he said. The library already has item drop-off boxes at Bank of Fayetteville locations through the city that are often used, he said.

The master plan does not specifically target areas of the city for branch locations.

“Some people like the idea of the library being a central and focal point for the whole community, and I think some people are concerned if there are branches, that would dilute that impact,” Simpson said. “I’m not sure myself. I think there could be some form of branch.”

Johnson said if residents want a branch, the question then turns to what type of branch, for example a facility with enough space for small businesses to conduct executive meetings or planning session.

“There’s a lot of people who say they want a branch, but I don’t know if they’re saying, ‘I want story time for kids or a place for my kids to ride a bike there to do homework,’” he said. “Or is it for people to just pick up a reserved book?”

The library more urgently needs to expand its existing location to accommodate large events, such as children’s programs, that are often full to the brim forcing library staff to turn people away or schedule and pay for extra presentations, Johnson said.

Collier said he brings his two sons to the library three or four days a week. They often sign up for programs and educational events.

“We’ve had good success,” he said. “We’ve been lucky because our typical day of coming to the library happens to be the day that they put out a lot of the workshop information.”

As Johnson walked through the library’s children’s area full of people Wednesday afternoon, dozens of parents and children sat on the floor in the hallways waiting in line for the second show by a children’s magician.

The library’s Board of Directors voted Monday to offer Washington Regional Medical Center $2 million for the old City Hospital property directly south of the library. The medical center has received several bids for that property, but administrators have refused to give further details about the sale since they began marketing the property.

The 2030 Master Plan for the library shows it using 55 percent of the 4.19 acres of the City Hospital property for an expansion project. That project would create a multistory facility that would include an expanded children’s area, a new young adults area, a multipurpose hall for special events and programs and hundreds of additional parking spots.

The project would add 80,000 square feet to the library’s existing 88,000 square feet, according to the plan.

Board members said they know their offer for the property will likely not match other bids offered to the hospital. A July appraisal commissioned by the library values the property at $3.27 million.

Library board members plan to send a committee, including Kim Agee, board president, Johnson and the library’s attorney and accountant, to meet with medical center administrators and board members.

They will try to work out terms for the sale and also discuss the “intangible” value of keeping the property for public use under the library instead of private use, such as an apartment complex.

The board also plans to offer the medical center naming opportunities for a future library expansion project on the property, if the two parties come to an agreement for the sale.

“Jim Blair gave $3 million to put his (late wife’s) name on the Blair Library,” Johnson said. “Barbara Tyson gave $2 million for the Randal Tyson Children’s wing. Washington Regional wouldn’t have to give anything, but the value of what we would be willing to do for the naming is obvious.”

Gina Maddox, a medical center spokeswoman, responded to emailed questions Friday asking if Bill Bradley, medical center CEO, and board would consider non-monetary values in addition to the $2 million offer.

“Of course, it’s important to note that the land the library sits on today was sold to the library by Washington Regional for a price that was below market value,” she wrote in a response. “That said, Washington Regional is a charitable organization and our board of directors has a strict fiduciary duty that would limit, at some level, the gap they could accept and still meet their fiduciary responsibilities to fulfilling our mission.”

The City Hospital property, formerly owned by the city of Fayetteville, had been used for public purposes for about a century before it closed in September under the medical center’s ownership.

Simpson said she believes Washington Regional has a moral obligation to sell the property to the library.

“There hasn’t been much out of the Washington Regional hospital about what they really want. If they’re going to take the top bid, why even bother with the library submitting (a bid), which we know is way off of what it was appraised at,” Waligorski said. “I don’t want to see apartment buildings. I don’t want to see it developed into a high rise so I can’t look out the window and read. It’s just lovely looking out.”

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