Update given on Bentonville library’s needs

BENTONVILLE -- The City Council heard an update on the library's needs Tuesday night.

Matthew S. Kruntorad of MSR Design gave the presentation. MSR Design is based in Minneapolis.

The recommended plan features amenities providing a significant opportunity for the library to address current and future needs in a thoughtful manner, library Director Hadi Dudley said.

The 38,500-square-foot library is at 405 S. Main St. This fall, the library will celebrate 15 years at the location.

Over the past four months, library officials and MSR Design collaborated to gather, organize and summarize public opinion from a cross-section of the community through online surveys, public workshops, meetings with library support groups and interviews of community leaders, Dudley said.

"The library's study is library mission-focused and community-driven," Dudley said. "We realize that the library's needs are really our community's needs, so in addition to standard assessment techniques, public input became vitally important to this project."

Library expansion is part of a proposed bond election. The city is considering asking residents to approve up to $266 million in bonds for capital projects by extending a 1% city sales tax. Included is $4.5 million for library expansion.

Bond plans call for a 6,400-square-foot addition and renovation to 10,000 square feet of the interior of the building. The council will vote at its Feb. 9 meeting whether to call a special election. The bond election would be April 13.

Other capital projects voters would be asked to approve include $160 million for streets, $30 million for parks and recreation, $18 million to address drainage issues, $6 million for radio communications, $3.5 million for a fire training facility and $1.4 million for a police training facility, according to city documents.

The amenities proposed in the bond option are included in the recommended plan as well. The bond options are more developed in size and scope in the recommended plan to address growth, Dudley said.

The needs plan also outlined options for more square footage and amenities not included in the bond option, Dudley said. Expansion options beyond the bond plan will require more private funding to meet the community's vision for the library, she said.

The full needs assessment from MSR Design showed a proposed 65,055 square feet of new and renovated space -- which includes the current 38,500 square feet -- at a cost a shade under $15 million.

That endeavor, if chosen, will require a public/private partnership, similar to the 2006 facility project, Dudley said.

The Bentonville Library Foundation is committed to supporting the library's expansion project, she said.

The needs study was supported by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation in partnership with the foundation.

MSR Design will issue a final report in the coming weeks and will be included on the library's website for public review, Dudley said.

In November, the City Council approved an agreement with the library foundation to purchase two pieces of property adjacent to the library for $1. The parcels are just north of Southwest Fourth Street.

In October, City Council unanimously approved an agreement with the Charles H. and Marilyn S. Turner Revocable Trust and Lawrence H. and Linda J. Hawkins for $850,000, plus closing costs estimated at $9,000 and $10,000 earnest money for the purchase of 401 S. Main St. Additional costs of $19,800 will pay for other services associated with the purchase. The property will provide greater expansion opportunities for the library, according to council documents. The money came from city reserve.

In other library related issues, the council on Tuesday night approved artwork "This is Your Public Library" at the library. The artwork is a collaboration between residents and artist Ziba Rajabi to create a woven paper image of the city limits. The artwork was paid for by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation in association with the library study. The council waived competitive bidding requirements of $35,000 to Overdrive Inc. for ebook purchases for library.

The council also heard an update on the Lake Bella Vista dam and park from Travis Matlock, city electric utility director. It's a new year and Matlock said he wanted to update the two new City Council members on the situation.

In August, Benton County Circuit Judge John Scott ruled the decision rests with the city whether to repair, replace or remove the dam. The case has since been appealed to the state Supreme Court.

No decision has been made about the dam, Matlock said.

Park amenities would be paid for through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Matlock said. A rewritten FEMA worksheet would lead to the reallocation of money that would be used for a bridge on the north side, a parking lot, trails and restrooms at the park.

The original FEMA worksheet was for $3.2 million, said David Wright, Parks and Recreation director. The rewritten form shows money in the $2.7 to $2.8 million range, he said.

There is still one piece of information from the second phase of a cultural resource survey that FEMA needs, Matlock said. He hopes the agency will get back with the city in a few months to say when the money will be ready. Once the money is finalized, improvements outside of the waterway will move to the City Council for approval, he said.

A host of local residents spoke online and all said they were in favor of removing the dam and restoring Little Sugar Creek to a free-flowing stream. Residents called the dam an eyesore, a hazard and a liability to the city.

Wright said the city would like to get the amenity improvements started, "then let the courts rule on the dam and go from there."

Bentonville filed a lawsuit against Cooper Realty Investments and the Bentonville/Bella Vista Trailblazers Association. The lawsuit asked a judge to decide what rights the city had in regard to the property and whether any agreements limit the city in rebuilding or removing the dam.

Cooper Realty conveyed the property Feb. 10, 2000, to the Trailblazers by limited warranty deed. The Trailblazers conveyed the property to Bentonville on Nov. 1, 2006, by special warranty deed, according to court documents. The city included Lake Bella Vista in its park system.

The lake is formed by a manmade dam on Little Sugar Creek. Flooding in 2008 damaged the dam. The city planned to rebuild an improved dam, according to the lawsuit.

Some groups asked the city to consider eliminating the dam and to return the creek to a naturally flowing stream, according to the lawsuit.

Cooper Realty wanted the city to rebuild the dam and maintain the lake, according to the lawsuit. Cooper claimed the conveyance of the property to the Trailblazers and later to the city was conditioned on the dam being maintained, and, if necessary, building a new dam to maintain Lake Bella Vista.