Published: November 19, 2007 11:20 pm         

Board votes not to reopen old library building

Enid Library Board members voted Monday to proceed with a temporary library location at Oakwood Mall and not return to the current building, which was heavily damaged by a storm in October.

The decisions were made in two separate motions by board members following an hour-long special meeting in the Cherokee Strip Conference Center. During the meeting, city officials presented discussion items that will be presented to the Enid City Commission tonight in the regular commission meeting. The commission meeting will be 6:30 p.m. at the city administration building, 401 W. Garriott.

The current library building has been closed since the storm in October, leaving Enid residents without library services. During repair work, engineers found a host of other issues with the building, including structural problems and asbestos that must be removed. The library building also is not in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

Finance Director Jerald Gilbert outlined several priorities and costs that are involved in the library restoration process. The first priority is to get a library opened as soon as possible, either in the mall or at a downtown location. Other priorities he outlined were to repair the current facility and reopen it or to determine future possibilities.

Merging with the Northern Oklahoma College Enid library also is an option, along with complete renovation of the current facility or building a new library.

Cost estimates, provided by Gilbert, for repairing the current library include:

• Water damage repair: $254,000.

• Asbestos abatement: $70,000.

• Concrete floor repair: $100,000.

• Fascia repair: $300,000.

• Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, elevator, steps and bathrooms, $300,000.

Total cost for repairing the current building are $1.024 million.

The estimated cost to build a new facility is $6 million to $10 million, Gilbert said.

It will cost about $22,000 to open the temporary structure in the library, he said, and costs are unknown concerning a merger with NOC Enid or obtaining another downtown location.

Board member Rob Fries preferred a downtown location. Member Fred Overstreet said he is concerned the library will lose its identity if it is merged with NOC Enid. Fries suggested a possible public-private partnership to build a new library with updated technology.

City Manager Eric Benson said the library has been the most emotional issue he has faced in a long time. He told the board it is prudent to discuss the current library situation in light of future options.

“We’re looking at a Randolph Street bridge,” he said, describing the cost of completely renovating the library. The city had to replace a bridge on West Randolph earlier this year after it collapsed. The price tag was more than $1 million.

Ward 3 Commissioner Loyd Kaufman said Minneapolis is building a $100 million library, and Wichita, Kan., is building a $30 million library. He said the current Enid library is not large enough for a city the size of Enid and also has a parking problem.

“We need to look at a lot larger facility. We’ve outgrown this facility, and there is no parking. We need to look around at building a new library or buying a larger building with enough parking,” he said.

Benson said the issue is not about the money, but about making the right capital investments. He asked library board members what they could build without emotion and using imagination as a guide.

“If you do renovation after a storm, ADA requires you make it compliant. Why put a million dollars into a building with an unstable foundation,” he said.

After a lengthy discussion, the board approved two motions to present Benson with a consensus to bring to the city commission. The first motion was to move to the temporary location at Oakwood Mall as quickly as possible. The second was not to spend any money to renovate the existing library building.

Benson and board members discussed adding the library as a separate item in a $450 million, 25-year city bond issue proposed for spring.