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2008-08-14  JOHNS CREEK HERALD | Library referendum tests voters will
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| | by Hatcher Hurd | |  |
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| | | Szabo (click for larger version) | |
August 20, 2008
www.northfulton.com
FULTON COUNTY - Library bond referendums are normally a shoo-in at the polls. It is one of those "we got to have them" items that voters traditionally support. But that may not be the case this Nov. 4 when they go to the polls in Fulton County.
The hitch this time around is the $276 million as the bond tries to make up for years of benign neglect over the last 20 years since the last library bond. Coupled with the tremendous growth Fulton County has experienced in that time, library facilities have fallen far behind the needs of the people. Now the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System Board of Trustees and the Fulton commissioners have agreed on a master plan that will build nine new libraries (three in North Fulton), fund renovations for 23 libraries and expand two more.
"Ever since I came here, Fulton County residents have talked of nothing but library needs – facilities needs," said John Szabo, AFPLS Library Director. "We have areas of the county that are underserved and we have areas of the county, including North Fulton, that have no service at all."
Szabo says the library system needs to be expanded and modernized, and the best way to ensure the support of everyone is to bring the entire system up to par at one time.
"I have seen some incredible inadequacies in my tours around this county," he said. "I have seen 1,600-square-foot metal boxes that we are calling branches. They are really just kiosks. I have been in a converted funeral home that was supposed to be a temporary building. The children's book section was the stage where the viewings used to take place."
What this bond proposes is to address the needs of the system comprehensively. The staff conducted 37 public meetings across the breadth and depth of the county, issued surveys and questionnaires and then came up with a master plan. The library board sent it back to add more to it.
The $276 million bond will mean an increase of 0.317 mills. Kelly Robinson, public relations and marketing director for the library system, said for the average homeowner that translates to about $19 a year for the owner of a $150,000 home. The owner of a $300,000 home would pay an extra $38 annually.
"So for less than the cost of one extra tank of gas a year, we can bring the library system up to where it needs to be across the board. This is an opportunity that might not come again," Szabo said.
Szabo said the result was a substantively expanded plan that addressed needs throughout the county.
"What happened was that the people told us what they wanted, and the plan reflects much of that," he said.
Those inefficient and small libraries would all go away, replaced with more regional facilities that ultimately provide more service.
"What the people have to remember is we have 34 libraries now, and when we will still have only 34 libraries when we finish. The plan calls for eight new libraries while closing eight," Szabo said.
Three of the new libraries will be in North Fulton. A 15,000-square-foot library in east Roswell at Fouts Road and Holcomb Bridge Road, and a new library in Milton and Alpharetta, each a 25,000-square-foot regional library.
The plan calls for the existing 20,000-square-foot library in west Roswell to remain open and close the existing Alpharetta library which is only 10,000 square feet.
The Roswell, Spruill Oaks and Ocee libraries will all receive extensive renovations as part of the master plan. In all, $64 million of the proposed bond will be spent north of the Chattahoochee and three of the eight new libraries.
The most controversial part of the referendum is the $50 million added in the 11th hour by the Board of Commissioners to build a flagship Central Library with $85 million of the bond money to be matched by as yet unidentified private sources with an equal amount.
Central Library has had numerous complaints over the years that it is an "unfriendly" library to patrons with its somewhat forbidding architecture and lack of windows. The six-story building which also houses library offices has been in a constant state of deterioration despite numerous attempts to fix the building's problems.
Central originally had $35 million in renovations slated on the bond, but then it was suggested to build a new downtown library. That grew to be a plan for $170 million library with its match from the private sector.
The county is researching whether that means the county can actually execute the sale of the Central Library funds until the private sector money is in hand. If that were the case, the bond would be reduced by $50 million.
"Whatever reservations people may have about a part or parts of the plan, I think if the look at whole of it, they will see the greater good," Szabo said.
 View images.
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The Fulton County Library Bond Referendum would provide:
New branch libraries
• Alpharetta: 25,000-square-foot library to replace current 10,000-square-foot building.
• Palmetto / Chattahoochee Hill Country: 10,000-square-foot library.
• East Roswell: 15,000-square-foot library on land provided by the city of Roswell.
• Milton: New 25,000-square-foot library.
• Northwest Atlanta: 25,000-square-foot library, replacing three branches that total 5,500 square feet.
• Southeast Atlanta: 15,000-square-foot library, replacing three branches that total 8,200 square feet.
• Stewart-Lakewood: 25,000-square-foot library to replace existing 10,000-square-foot facility.
• Wolf Creek: 25,000-square-foot library on property owned by Fulton County.
• New central library - The proposed bond issue would provide $84 million, about half the money needed for land acquisition and construction for a new 300,000-square-foot central library in downtown Atlanta. Private donations would cover the remaining costs. |
ALL PROJECTS AND ESTIMATED COSTS
Library Name Project Description Amount
Adams Park Renovations $797,659
Adamsville Renovations $1,213,693
Alpharetta New branch library $24,732,476
Auburn Avenue Research Library Expansion $24,996,263
Buckhead Renovations $1,926,894
Central* New library $84,807,771
Cleveland Renovations $1,030,013
College Park Renovations $722,585
Dogwood Renovations $773,260
East Atlanta Renovations $120,118
East Roswell New branch library $10,900,240
Eastpoint Renovations $1,144,253
Fairburn Renovations $1,185,791
Hapeville Renovations $600,590
Kirkwood Renovations $739,008
Martin Luther King Jr. Renovations $67,870
Mechanicsville Renovations $278,103
Milton New branch library $19,129,976
Northeast/Spruill Oaks Renovations $2,220,933
Northside Renovations $1,301,279
Northwest Atlanta New branch library $21,132,146
Ocee Renovations $250,246
Palmetto/Chattahoochee Hill Country New branch library $7,266,827
Peachtree Renovations $1,051,033
Ponce de Leon Renovations $1,288,767
Roswell Renovations $1,351,328
Sandy Springs Renovations $2,815,268
South Fulton Expansion $8,416,283
Southeast Atlanta New branch library $10,411,662
Southwest Renovations $2,721,425
Stewart-Lakewood New branch library $21,449,943
Washington Renovations $825,812
West End Renovations $882,117
Wolf Creek New branch library $18,167,067
Demolitions $188,882
Total Costs $276,907,581 | |
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