By Stephanie Brien
Journal Times | Posted: Wednesday, October 8, 2008 12:00 am
RACINE - The Racine Public Library is one small step closer to buying land for a new library branch in Mount Pleasant.
The Board of Trustees for the Racine Public Library would like to buy 25 city-owned acres near the intersection of Green Bay Road and Spring Street. The City Plan Commission gave the board permission Wednesday night to write a letter to the city formally asking to buy the land.
The library has been struggling to meet the state's eight-point set of standards for libraries, but Theron Snell, the library board president, believes a new library branch would help.
For instance, the Racine library's volume of materials and number of staff do not currently meet the state's criteria, Snell said. A new library branch would mean more materials and more staff, he said. However, at this point he did not know exactly how the library would generate money for the materials and operating costs.
The board will have to figure out how to utilize the resources the library has to really meet its mission, Snell said.
Library Director Jessica MacPhail said she visualizes a new library with lots of free accessible parking, among other things.
Right now she said she hears a lot of complaints about the downtown library's parking situation.
"Not only do they have to pay to park, then they have to walk uphill," MacPhail said.
She also would like to see more materials, she said, but she wants to hear from the pubic as well.
Library officials say that acquiring land for a new library branch is the first step to generating funding for a future library.
"We can't do anything until the land is purchased," MacPhail said.
Under state statute, the library has the right to the endowment funds and has the right to buy and own property, MacPhail said. Estimates on the cost of the land are unknown.
The library board has about $3 million in endowments, which could be used to buy the land and build the library. But officials realize that will not fill the library and run it, they said.
"We are going to be talking to a lot of people," MacPhail said.
Snell agrees with MacPhail that generating support is going to take a lot of work. But they need to start somewhere.
At one point Snell worked in a university fundraising office, where he said he learned that fundraising needs to start with something concrete. If the city bought the land, that would give them something to work from, Snell said.
The library's intent to buy the city's land was the first item on the City Plan Commission's agenda. It passed without any dissent.
The commission told the board that its plans do not go against any city plans for the land, said commission member Alderman Greg Helding. The item will now need to go to the City Council and then if the members approve it, Helding said, the library board can begin negotiating a price with the city.