Voting no is NOT a solution.

This is a guest post by Susan Mickelson, GFPL Board President.

The three-year Library Revitalization process that was spearheaded by local volunteers was effective in its fact-finding, research, comparative studies and planning. The proposed solution has been thoughtfully developed, carefully documented and professionally reviewed. The $20.8 million project proposal was prepared and approved by the Library Board, based on the current situations existing in Grand Forks at this time. It is the proposal that is being offered to voters on May 3 in the form of a special election.

The Grand Forks Public library is well used and highly valued. Based on documented usage, we need a facility nearly twice the size to accommodate existing patron traffic. The proposed $20.8 million library project would be funded by a temporary 1-cent sales tax.

Although we’ve been encouraged by the amount of public interaction that has been generated by the upcoming Library Vote, we are also frustrated by deceptive messaging and blatant untruths that have been distributed by the opposition, Citizens for Responsible Government.

I would like to address five of the most deceitful statements at this time. These bullet points come directly from the flyer that is being distributed by Councilman Terry Bjerke and his supporters.

• The proposed library project is not a Taj Mahal. It’s a functional 21^st Century library.  A library to provide our citizens today and in the future with the necessary space and resources to compete in the classroom, the workforce and everyday life. Additional amenities such as a fireplace or aquarium could be included, but only if private contributions are made available to fund them.

• This project will not exceed the proposed $20.8 million budget. It cannot exceed that budget. The language is specifically included on the special election ballot. All necessary funding for the library project will be provided by the temporary 1% sales tax. As soon as the $20.8 million is raised, the sales tax is retired. It’s done.

• A larger, more energy efficient building with new technology will not demand increased staff. Current library staff will definitely be utilized in different ways, with automated checkout systems, book return processing equipment and radio frequency ID tags performing the tasks that will no longer require personal interaction. Most public libraries installed those technological upgrades several years ago.

• Lack of space is the single largest deficiency with our current library. We have no more space to use, so a remodel of the current building will not solve our problems. Although the building was originally constructed to include a full second floor, advances in mechanical and lighting systems now require 15-foot ceiling heights, and we don’t have that space. We have received opinions from multiple experts, and the current library is not structurally capable of supporting an additional floor, so a third story is not possible. We’ve learned that the library’s current mechanical system is one of the most inefficient models ever made, with heating and cooling running simultaneously 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also have serious issues of accessibility in this building, which prevent some of our residents from fully utilizing their public library.

These are significant problems that require big-budget solutions. We have looked at options and requested proposals, and it would cost approximately $18 million to remodel and add on to the existing building. That is not a cost-effective solution, and it would force us to make the compromising adaptations that are always necessary when joining new construction with an existing building.

• It is the Library Board’s intent that the new library be located where the existing building stands, with acquisition of adjacent property as needed to accommodate the plan. If Councilman Terry Bjerke has a different idea for a location, he will need to pursue that with his fellow Council members. As always, majority will rule.

Voting “no” is not a solution. There are serious deficiencies at our library. Many of these problems need to be corrected immediately. Voting “no” will only prolong the problems, and in some cases the costs for correction will grow higher as each month passes.

What solutions have been provided by Citizens for Responsible Government? What alternatives have they proposed? What professional opinions have they garnered? What comparative facility reports have they prepared? What budgets have they offered?

Where will we carve out the necessary space for our existing library materials, as well as current children’s activities, computers, meetings, study groups, teens, staff and parking? And what about future accessibility for Grand Forks Public Library and our tax-paying citizens?

It’s very easy to say “vote no.” It’s even easier when you don’t bother to put in the time to research the problem, study the possible solutions, support your case with the necessary professional documentation and suggest a solution with a bona fide price tag.

The Library Task Force for Revitalization did their work and they did it thoroughly. The results have been made available to the public since October of 2008. Don’t be misdirected by an easy way out. Be an informed voter. Read the reports, study the research, learn about the advances within the library industry, and review the 35 line items in the proposed budget at www.gflibrary.com.

Most important, be sure to cast your vote on Tuesday, May 3.

Extreme energy usage at Grand Forks Public Library

As promised in this post, here is Dave McFarlane’s full expert opinion about the current energy efficiency (or lack thereof) in the Grand Forks Public Library:

By Dave McFarlane

About four years ago, our company started working with the City of Grand Forks in a process to evaluate energy efficiencies in public buildings. The library was one of the 30 or 40 buildings we looked at, and it turned out that it was one of the top five most inefficient buildings in the city.

Earlier this month, the Library Board asked us to review the energy usage in the building and give our professional opinion regarding efficiency levels. So, we’ve studied the library’s energy bills from the last three years and we’ve made comparisons with buildings of similar size and occupancy in the region. With this information, we are able to determine how much energy per square foot the building is using and calculate exactly how much the library is spending above and beyond normal expectations.

The end result is the Energy Analysis Report we are releasing today. As expected, the energy usage at our Public Library is extreme. It’s significantly higher than it should be. Our analysis indicates that the library complex is using 58% more energy than recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency for a building of similar occupancy within the North Dakota region. That inefficiency results in annual energy costs that are $22,500 higher than necessary.

It’s important to remember that the Grand Forks Public Library was built in 1972, and that was a time when energy was very inexpensive. It was so inexpensive that Northern States Power Company was running an ad campaign that proclaimed, “Electricity is penny-cheap at NSP.” At that time, NSP used Reddy Kilowatt as their cartoon spokesperson. You might remember that his arms and legs were made of lightning bolts and his nose was a light bulb.

Since energy was so inexpensive in the early 1970s, it wasn’t a priority to conserve, and there were no building design initiatives that concentrated on energy efficiency. The design professionals at that time did not concentrate on energy usage – electric, gas or anything.  Because of that, the system that was originally installed in our library was a very inefficient one, and after all these years, it has become one of the most inefficient buildings the City owns.

The library building is almost 40 years old, and these types of systems have life expectancies of 25-30 years. Mechanical equipment, by its nature, is going to wear out. It’s not unusual that the library’s system is failing or that the maintenance staff has been replacing components several times a year. This gets to be a very expensive ongoing upkeep for the library administration. It is also a precariously unreliable system.

The question now is, “How do we fix it?” Results from our Energy Analysis certainly lend credence to the need to redo the entire system. The cost to retrofit the library would be significant. We would need to gut the building and basically start over. It would mean shutting down the library for a year; removing all ceilings and some walls, removing the air handling systems and starting over.

Energy inefficiencies alone do not justify the construction of a new library. However, a failing mechanical system is a very expensive component in a public building, so we need to carefully consider whether it is a wise decision to make that investment in a 40-year-old building that has serious space deficiencies.

10 reasons to vote YES!

The top 10 reasons why you should vote YES to a new Grand Forks Public Library:

10. Because we’ve loved our library to death.

9. Because books are alive and well.

8. Because our kids and grandkids deserve a brain playground.

7. Because the parking, technology, lighting and energy in the current building just aren’t cutting it.

6. Because meeting rooms build community. (And the current library has only one meeting room!)

5. Because the current library is overused and undersized.

4. Because libraries must be available to all.

3. Because libraries open minds and inspire imagination.

2. Because libraries advance people. (And people advance companies and communities.)

1. Because voting no is not a solution. (The current library needs serious help, and it’s going to cost a considerable amount of money either way.)

We need more space for parking, displays, programming, computers, teens and children, story hour and book clubs. We need more space for community. We need more space to grow.

Remember to get out and vote YES on Tuesday, May 3!

Funding the Grand Forks Public Library

This blog post is in response to a question we received last week, regarding alternative funding options for the Grand Forks Public Library.

At their April 14, 2011, meeting, the Grand Forks Public Library Board received and reviewed a formal complaint submitted by Molly MacBride in regard to accessibility problems in our library. MacBride’s letter was forwarded to City Hall for official review, and last week library officials met with City Attorney Howard Swanson and City Administrator Rick Duquette to discuss the complaint. We have also contacted Bev Collings, Building Inspector for the City of Grand Forks. Library officials will seek legal counsel regarding appropriate next steps for addressing the complaint.

Within the next 90 days, the 2012 Library budget will be prepared and submitted to City Hall. If the 1-cent sales tax is not approved for the proposed construction project, the 2012 budget will most likely include a request for additional funds necessary to address the immediate needs for safety and accessibility at GFPL. Budget requests are usually funded through the City’s General Fund, which is derived from property tax collections. Library officials will work with City Council to prioritize the biggest deficiencies at the library.

The American Library Association provides a comprehensive report at the end of each year, recapping the size, budget and funding source for all library construction projects. This is a comprehensive document to review if you are interested in learning how other communities have paid for library construction projects.

We are aware of three funding options for library construction projects:

1. Property Tax
2. Sales Tax
3. Private Donations and Grants

Many times, a blend of two or three sources is utilized. Such is the case with the Grand Forks Public Library.

The historic records in our library show that Grand Forks voters approved a public library levy in 1900. In 1904, funding for construction of the first new library in GF came from a private donation provided by library philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. As part of the agreement with Carnegie before his construction funding was released, the citizens of Grand Forks voted to provide the necessary operating funds for their public library. The City of Grand Forks purchased property in the center of town and provided the necessary funds for equipment and furnishings, staff salaries and ongoing operating budget. With that decision, future generations of Grand Forks citizens were ensured of ongoing service, free of charge, from a public library.

The current GF Public Library building was completed in 1972 using property tax dollars from a bond issue approved by voters in 1969.  Money from the Anna Lindaas estate was also used to fund the construction. The annual operating budget at GFPL continues to be funded by property tax dollars from the City of Grand Forks and from the County of Grand Forks.

With the proposed library construction project, a combination of revenue sources will once again be utilized:

• 1-cent sales tax would fund the entire construction project, purchase adjacent property as needed and provide furnishing, fixtures and equipment
• Private donations and grants would supplement the project costs and provide additional amenities such as a fireplace or an aquarium. The Grand Forks Public Library Foundation, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt entity, has been created to receive and administer contributions of this type. In November of 2010 and January of 2011, grants from the Knight Foundation ($45,000) and the Otto Bremer Foundation ($93,600) were awarded and utilized for community input and planning sessions for our proposed library project. Additional grant applications are also in the works. Although there are some grants available for ADA upgrades, no applications have been submitted for this funding, since remodeling is currently not planned at GFPL.
• Property tax would continue to be the source for the ongoing operating budgets.

North Dakota State Century Code plays an integral part in public library governance. The City of Grand Forks must adhere to these laws regarding any plans for our public library.

Stewards of a Library Legacy

Paul Holje, local architect and Library Building Committee member, shared wonderful insight in today’s Grand Forks Herald with a Viewpoint regarding our obligation as stewards.

Here’s a preview of Paul’s perspective:

Each generation is called upon to be stewards. We are asked to think not only of the people who have come before us, but what will happen many generations after us. Our actions will ripple through the community long after we have left this earth. Personally, I choose to make Grand Forks better than I found it. That’s what stewardship is all about.

I don’t want our great grandchildren asking why their great grandparents abandoned their Library. I don’t want them asking why we gave up on the over 100-years of Library Legacy.

To finish learning about Paul’s insightful perspective, you can find the rest of his article in today’s Grand Forks Herald opinion section.

Q+A with Mayor Brown: growing our future leaders.

Here, we will share a weekly update addressing Mayor Brown’s questions, which are probably your questions, too. (And, if you’re still puzzled, be sure to comment directly on this post or ask us here. We want to be on the same page.) Answers to questions 1 & 2 regarding location can be found here. The answer to question 3 regarding demographics can be found here and question 4 about the sales tax here.

Mayor Brown’s Question 5: Does the library currently serve as a safe place for kids after school?  Is this a continued, diminished or expanded role for the proposed new library?

Library Board’s A: If you have visited the Grand Forks Public Library recently, especially after school and on the weekends, you know that school-aged children are using the library in record numbers.

Children come to the library to:

• ask a librarian for help locating materials for their homework assignments,
• to study,
• to meet other students to work on school projects,
• to use the computers,
• and to find something fun to read.

They also come to the library for various programs and events. A sample of recent events for school-aged children includes:

• Kids in the Kitchen: Mission Nutrition,
• the 39 Clues Book Club,
• Wimpy Kid Day,
• a LEGO event,
• and twice-weekly story time events for the younger children.

The number of programs and events for children has expanded dramatically in the past two years. However, that expansion is limited because the library has only one meeting room, which needs to be shared with all other library events. With increased space in a new facility, the Grand Forks Public Library would be able to meet the community’s demand for more children’s programming and events.

Children often come to the Grand Forks Public Library to study. The library is used by students of all types, including homeschooled, distance education, tutored and college students. However, group work is very difficult in the current facility since there are no private areas for students to use. Instead, groups must sit at tables in the main library where they may disturb or be disturbed by other library users. The new facility would address this problem by providing several small, quiet study rooms and group study rooms.

Teens

There is also a great need for space in the library for the community’s teenagers. Too old for the children’s area with its knee-high book bins and pirate’s ship play area, yet too young for the hushed atmosphere near the adults, teens are in desperate need of a place to call their own. They are at an age where it is essential to keep them reading and hooked into literacy-promoting activities, yet our current facility isn’t welcoming to teens and doesn’t have the space to create the needed area for teens. A new facility would not only offer that space and the resources teens want and need, it would give teens the chance to help design that space.

The Grand Forks Public Library is an important place for children and their families, particularly after school. The current facility is being used to its capacity but is not large enough to meet the community’s wants and needs. A new facility would help to ensure that the children of Grand Forks today have all they need to become the leaders of tomorrow.

Growth is good. For all of us.

Much has been said about how much the Grand Forks Public Library has changed and added programs and services over the years. Here’s a rundown of that growth:

• The library now has 61 computers for public use, 11 of which are used for the online card catalog and databases. Over 50% of their total cost has been provided by grant funding.

• The library provides access to searchable online databases (Ancestry, Auto Repair Center, Ebsco and Gale journal article databases, Mango Languages, NoveList, Proquest Newspapers, etc.) for all library patrons, either within the library or from their home computers. These subscription databases are provided through library consortium funding and are not available from your local Internet provider.

• Computer classes are currently offered on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Topics currently being explored include Computer Basics, various Microsoft applications, Beginning Genealogy and Social Networking.

• Two self checkout stations have been added at the main circulation desk and one in the children’s department, making the check out of materials fast and easy.

• The library purchases the latest fiction and non-fiction books in print, audio, and large-print formats, making reading about your favorite subject an enjoyable experience. They also have downloadable books available through their Library2Go program.

• The library’s Grand Forks Room has area atlases, cemetery books, city directories, farm and plant directories, military records, obituaries, local reference books and yearbooks available in one research location. Local history resources such as these are generally not available online or as downloadable e-books.

• The Myra Collection features books on farming, agricultural practices and horticulture. This collection is partly funded by the Myra Foundation.

• The library has five active book clubs (Great Reads, Leaders Read, Current Affairs, Classic Re-Reads and This & That), with a sixth one starting this month (Poetry). They also have many Book Clubs in a Bag (everything you need for a great discussion in one tote bag).

• The Children’s Department is a very active place, with toddler and preschool story times, summer and winter reading programs, R.E.A.D. dogs and lots of special guests. They also have computers with homework help sites and kid-friendly search engines for their own information hunts.

• Teens will soon have their own space in the library for Young Adult books and activities.

This growth requires a new library. Vote YES.

If you believe in a new library, please share this post with your family and friends, either through email or Facebook. The May 3 vote is quickly approaching! Thank you.

Statistics show need for new library.

 “There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library.”  ~Andrew Carnegie

The Grand Forks Public Library is the cornerstone of our community, a public institution of immeasurable worth to the responsible citizens of Grand Forks and the surrounding area – and it needs your help.

Thanks to all of you, we’ve outgrown our current library and desperately need more space to accommodate your reading, research and relaxation needs. Vote YES for a larger, light-filled, comfortable and safe environment!

 * * *

Like thousands of public libraries across the United States, the first Grand Forks Public Library building was constructed with funding provided by Andrew Carnegie. It was located downtown on the corner of 5^th and Alpha from 1903 until 1972, when a new library was built at 2110 Library Circle.

The new library seemed large at 31,415 sq. ft. but it was soon apparent that more space was needed. In 1984, an expansion project added 4,500 sq. ft. for a new Children’s Department on the second floor, as well as space for the library’s first computer room. It was an exciting place for the growing community of readers.

The library’s collections and services have always kept pace with the needs of its patrons, and never more than in today’s ever-changing electronic world. The statistics below contradict the assertion that the Internet has made the Grand Forks Public Library expendable, showing instead that its use increases with every year:

	1979	2009
Population of Grand Forks County	63,425	66,585
Library visitors per year	175,000	283,956
Library visits per capita	2.76	4.26
Total number of library materials owned	137,514	314,310
Total items checked out (the largest number of any library in North Dakota)	360,128	852,129
Total interlibrary loan materials provided to other libraries	293	3,598
Total interlibrary loan items borrowed from other libraries	381	536
Items checked out per capita	5.68	12.80
Number of internet users served	N/A	52,784

Your public library continues to grow and be a vital part of Grand Forks because its mission is taken very seriously.

But… the building is the same size as it was in 1984 and library service has changed dramatically since then. Not only have we outgrown our current building; it has serious deficiencies. The wiring and the heating system have not been updated since they were installed in 1972 and are limping along with continual repairs. The lighting in the stacks is totally inadequate and there are no windows to provide natural light. The library’s bathrooms and stacks are not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The existing elevator must be replaced. And so forth.

No hype. No exaggeration. We need a new library and these are the facts and statistics to prove it. 

Vote YES.

If you believe in a new library, please share this article with your family and friends. Email or post the link to your Facebook. The vote is only 12 days away! Thank you.

3 clarifications about tax and location.

The hard-working volunteers, who have piloted the GF Public Library Revitalization Project for more than three years, appreciate this opportunity to correct erroneous information that has been distributed and redistributed recently through a very deceiving email thread.

The majority of the information in the email message was based on conjecture and untruths. The most egregious of the misstatements are corrected here:

1. The amount of public dollars (sales tax revenue) to be spent for all costs needed to construct, furnish and equip a new library will not exceed $20.8 million.
2. Property tax revenue will not be used for the proposed library construction project.
3. The new library will be built at and on property or properties adjacent to the existing building at Library Circle and Library Lane, Grand Forks, N.D.
   (Source:  Minutes of the March 9, 2011, meeting of the Grand Forks Public Library Board.)

It’s important for Grand Forks voters to be correctly informed about the proposed library project. Our library website contains complete information on current usage data, consultant’s reports, feasibility studies/traffic studies authorized by City Council and official meeting minutes from the three years of working through the planning process.

Probably most important: Visit the library and see for yourself. GFPL has 825 visitors per day checking out almost 2,400 items daily. That’s more than any other public library in North Dakota.

The problems at our 40-year-old library will not disappear with a “no” vote on May 3. Total lack of ADA compliance, exploding light fixtures causing fire, antiquated HVAC systems, insufficient space for materials, programming, meetings and parking, as well as total absence of insulating material will continue to render our library inefficient, hazardous and noncompliant.

Let’s rectify the problems by approving a carefully researched, all-encompassing solution paid by a 1-cent sales tax with a hard sunset clause.

Vote “yes” on May 3 to provide the citizens of Grand Forks City and County with a 21^st Century public library.

Q+A with Mayor Brown: Sales tax.

Here, we will share a weekly update addressing Mayor Brown’s questions, which are probably your questions, too. (And, if you’re still puzzled, be sure to comment directly on this post or ask us here. We want to be on the same page.) Answers to questions 1 & 2 regarding location can be found here. The answer to question 3 regarding demographics can be found here.

Mayor Brown’s Question 4: I initially questioned the impact of a 1% sales tax increase on our local economy. I have since heard information from sources like the Retail Task Force/Buxton Report that perhaps the impact isn’t a deal breaker. Has there been any other information suggesting this?

Library Board’s A: The Mayor has asked what effect the increased sales tax might have on business in Grand Forks. The answer is that it is likely to have very little impact on shopping habits.

Some of the reasons for this conclusion are as follows:

• In Fargo, consumers pay an additional ½-cent county sales tax recently levied by Cass County. For the first six months, Grand Forks will enjoy a sales tax advantage over Fargo of ¾ cents. For nine months following that, Fargo’s sales tax will be ¼ cent lower than Grand Forks’. Then for 23 months Fargo will be ¾ cents lower than Grand Forks, unless Fargo is forced to raise its sales tax further to pay for the rapidly escalating cost of flood protection.

• However, if you figure in what you spend on gas and depreciation, it would make no economic sense to spend two and a half hours driving 150 miles just to pay a lower sales tax unless you were going to spend over $10,000 in one trip.

• The Buxton retail study found that choice and variety of merchandise are perhaps the most important determinants in making decisions about where one shops.

• A recent study in California by a well-known municipal tax consultant found that sales tax increases in more than two dozen California cities had no measurable effect on sales.

• An economist with Beacon Economics in California said that “in the long run people don’t base their buying decisions on sales tax rates.” They tend to shop in places they enjoy because of the atmosphere and amenities. “One of the highest sales taxes you might pay in Los Angeles County is in the city of Santa Monica, which has a 9.75% sales tax. But people flock there to shop because they like going there.”

• One advantage of the 1-cent sales tax is that we would be finished paying for it much sooner than with a ¾ cent or ½ cent tax. At current collection rates, a 1-cent tax pays off the cost of the new library in about 32 months (a little over 2.5 years). The other two would be with us for about 42 months (3.5 years) or 64 months (5.3 years).

• A new library will enhance the business climate in Grand Forks. It will be one more reason to be proud of what the city has to offer. The greater the attachment to Grand Forks, the more likely one is to shop there. Also, weekend reading events and exhibits at the library are another reason for patrons to stay in the city.

• If the new library were not paid for by the sales tax, we would have to make repairs to the current library’s electrical, air conditioning, heating and roof systems. The current elevator must be replaced by the year 2013, and there is also an urgent need to bring the current library into compliance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards. An approximate estimate for those updates is a cost between $2 and $5 million. This would have to be paid for with property taxes, which most people find more burdensome than sales taxes.