01/25/1988 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Ms. Bentsen said she felt that the library represented the heart of the city, and when the heart began to deteriorate, she wondered about the priorities of those who were making decisions with regard to the library. Ms. Bentsen said she was very much in support of a new library, she thought the need was evident, and she was happy to hear Mr. Waters. comments illustrating the need for a larger, better equipped library. But, she added, she disagreed with the report.s recommendations about location and how to pay for the project. Ms. Bentsen said she had noted at previous meetings that the suggested location downtown gave her a sense of "deja vu." She said Eugene, 30 years ago, had faced the same decision about where to locate the library, and the City Council had proposed a site at 8th and Oak, for the same reasons cited now. She said she was not sure that economic benefits to downtown should be the foremost reason for site selection. Ms. Bentsen said a large number of people had disagreed with that suggested location, and the City had been faced with an initiative petition. As a result, she said, voters had decided on the location at 13th and Olive. She said many of the same concerns had been expressed then and at hearings this summer--that people did not want the library located in the commercial heart of the city and that benefits of a more peripheral location included better access and safety for children and teenagers. She said a location downtown would result in added problems. e Ms. Bentsen also said she was concerned about price. She noted that the report recommended a $24 million facility, including the multi-level parking garage and funds to staff and operate it. She said she believed that package was doomed to fail if presented to voters in a bond election, because the price was out of reason with the area economy. Ms. Bentsen said she was concerned about inclusion in the report of such an amount, which appeared to be a "straw manu that would be easily knocked down by voters if presented in that way. Ms. Bentsen suggested using surface parking and enlarging the present site, purchasing vacant lots nearby, and presenting the project to voters as an economically priced library. Ms. Bentsen also said she feared for the success of the project if an attempt was made to include operating costs in the bond issue. She noted that operating costs had not been included in bond issues for the Hult Center or the airport and said she did not think it would be fair to include them for the library. She concluded that two roadblocks to a successfully expanded Eugene library would be 1) to include operating costs in the bond issue; and 2) to site it in such a way that the expense was too great for the citizens to bear. e John D. Moore, 2090 West 17th Avenue, spoke under Other Comments. Mr. Moore said he thought the library was a very good investment for the city and would not cost, but would pay, even though he found the pricetag a little high. He said he felt $15 million was a more reasonable cost than the $26 million cited in the report. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 25, 1988 Page 6