By Jay Ermis
It’s time for Huntsville residents to update their public library.
The current library at 1216 14th St. is 42 years old, covers 7,000 square feet and can accommodate 150 people — a small facility for a city of 35,000 to 40,000 people, who utilize the library more and more each day.
The proposed $3.5 million bond issue to expand and renovate the library is one of three separate issues on one of two ballots for Tuesday’s special election.
The other two issues are the exchange of parkland with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the proposed 10 amendments to the City Charter. The second ballot has the state’s proposed 11 amendments to the Texas Constitution.
If Huntsville voters approve Proposition 1, the $3.5 million would pay for the renovation and expansion library from 7,000 square feet to 22,000 square feet in addition to 81 parking spaces on 1.774 acres.
The 22,000 square feet includes 15,000 square feet of completed building.
The expansion includes a 1,751 square-foot meeting room to accommodate 150 people; 1,804 square-foot children’s room; 1,291 square-foot genealogy room; archive storage, 221 square feet; and 1,151 square-foot volunteer work room.
There are currently 42 parking space while the library has 25 computers for use by the public and sponsored 139 programs for adults and children in fiscal year 2008.
Ann Holder, who chaired the library’s feasibility committee, said the expansion and renovation of the library is needed.
Holder, director of the Newton-Grisham Library at Sam Houston State University, gave a presentation on the library’s proposed expansion during Tuesday evening’s town hall meeting at the Walker Education Center.
“One of the things I didn’t say in the meeting was that we took a look at cities with populations between 25,000 and 35,000 based on the size of the library,” Holder said. “Our library is tied in last place.
“New Waverly’s library, which is newer obviously, is 12,000 square feet versus our 7,000 square feet. We have a community that really is using the library.
“They’re checking out over 100,000 books a year. That is a phenomenal rate. More people in these economic times are in public libraries using the resources because they consider them very authoritarian.”
“They look at the library to provide resources that are trusted and that’s what we do,” Holder said. “We also obviously need space for the children. Their programming is so important for them. I am looking for life-long learners.
“Teens are now using libraries for study groups. We don’t have the space for them. It’s time to expand the 7,000 square feet.”
Holder said the feasibility committee decided to keep the library’s current location and renovate and expand it.
“Location was a prime importance to the last two feasibility studies that were done,” Holder said.
In one of the last town hall meetings concerning the library, “everything was we want this centrally located,” Holder said. “We want it to stay where it is. We looked at it.
“It was a matter of trying to save money, so you keep it on a site where the city already owns all the property and try to get a building that gives us more room on that property.
“I think we have met all of the needs that the residents want. We will have a bigger library, not huge, but there will be more space in it.
“Any time you can have just one meeting room that holds the same number of people that current library will hold now I think we’re doing a good thing.”
Holder said she expects the $3.5 million to be used to complete the building — east and west wings — and the the Friends of the Library are working to collect funds to furnish the library and Dr. Sherry McKibben is applying for grants to help offset the cost of the library.
“We tried hard to keep the library on one floor so staffing would not be an issue in the very near future,” Holder said. “Right now I don’t see staffing to be an issue.”
