01/25/1988 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e e e the city. She said the league, after research and study, recently had adopted its position through a process of neighborhood meetings and consensus. She said all nine neighborhood units had agreed that Eugene needed an improved library as soon as possible, that the library should be large enough to meet the community's needs for at least 20 years, and that it should be designed for further expansion when needed. Other criteria for a new library should be as follows, she said: 1) easy and convenient access for everyone; 2) flexibility to accommodate service and societal changes; 3) design for efficient and effective operation; 4) an attractive and welcoming design; 5) a central location with sufficient, convenient parking, and 6) an operating budget adequate to provide effective staffing, current materials, and ongoing services. Ms. Girardeau said the league felt the committee had done an excellent job and the report had met all criteria. She said library improvements already were overdue and completion now would be more efficient than a phased approach. She said the league believed the community was ready and willing to support the project and strongly urged the council to adopt the report and to place the issue on the ballot by September 20, 1988. She said the League of Women Voters pledged its full support to a successful outcome. Jessie I. Gustafson, 1795 West 17th, spoke under Other Comments. She said she and her children regularly used the library, and she had been in favor of library expansion, but in recent weeks events had changed her mind. Ms. Gustafson said a news report yesterday had included a statement from a representative of the City library that the facility needed new wiring, so the building would be torn down and replaced. She said she did not appreciate the unsympathetic attitude she had encountered with regard to restoring the reduced hours, and her occupation allowed her only six hours per week to visit the library, which she viewed as a necessity, not a luxury. Ms. Gustafson said she was not certain about the expense of a satellite library system, but she had seen branches used in many other communities, and she thought many people would use them here. She suggested that Lincoln School be converted to a branch library. Ms. Gustafson said she felt that the $101,000 budget item for restoration of hours was a valid line item, because library representatives saw no need to restore the hours. She said the Eugene library had been established with help from Andrew Cornelius, a "frugal Scot" who also established a scholarship fund, and she would like to have his input on spending $25 million on a public library. Michael Coffey, 971 West 1st Avenue, spoke in favor of expanded library services. He said he represented his children, who were in attendance tonight, and he supported an expanded library system, whether it be a satellite system, expansion of the existing building, or some other way of expanding current services, which in his experience were inadequate, with insufficient space even to shelve existing books. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 25, 1988 Page 8