NEW LIBRARY:

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

17. Where will the library be located?

1. The library will be expanded at the present location. The center part of the new design is the remodeled 1966 building. The expansion is to be built on the east and west sides of the building with a wrap around to the north. Reusing and remodeling the old building saves a substantial amount of money for the total project.

17. How much will this cost?

1. If bids can go out during the summer of 2006, the total project cost of the expanded library is estimated at $6.8 million. (Total project includes the technology, furnishing, shelving, landscaping, parking lot, etc.) The construction cost estimate is $4.5. The remodeling of the old building will be about $90 per sq. ft. The new additions are approximately $170 per sq. ft. for an average of $140 per sq. ft.

17. With budgets so tight, how will the city pay for this?

1. The library’s operation and materials budget is a separate fund from the fund for capital projects. The Scottsbluff Library Foundation plans a major fundraising campaign to raise additional capital. Major foundations will be contacted and grants will be sought.

17. Will this increase our property taxes?

1. The short answer is no. The library is supported by the sales tax.

17. Why don’t you build a second story on the old building?

1. The 1966 building was not built with the intention of putting on a second story. The walls will not support a second story.

17. Why do you need to get rid of the park?

1. The plan is to increase the size of the library to 33,200 sq. ft. from 13,012 sq. ft. This will make the library three times larger. If the library is to stay at its current location, parking is needed, and the park is the only space available for parking. The parking lot will increase the parking at the library by three times the size of the present parking lot. In an attempt to keep the "park" feel, care is being taken to add landscaping to the parking area, and two courtyards are planned on the south side of the library. In addition, Centennial Park to the east has been added since the library was built. This beautiful park can be utilized by those, who now use Constitution Park. The quiet reading area of the expanded library will look out on Centennial Park.

17. Where is the area for Senior Citizens?

1. Large Print books will be included in the fiction collection. They are not currently included in fiction because there is not room for them. Additionally, a quiet reading area is planned in the northeast corner of the library, which will be away for the noisier, higher traffic sections of the library.

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