UPDATE ON POTENTIAL RELOCATION OF THE FOOTHILLS BRANCH LIBRARY
Staff Contact and Presented By: Erik Strunk, Director, Community Services Department
Staff Contact and Presented By: Michael Beck, Chief Librarian
Purpose and Policy Guidance
This is a request for City Council to review and provide guidance on the potential relocation of the Foothills Branch Library (FBL) to available space at the Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center (FRAC) and expansion of library services. Specifically, staff is seeking Council direction whether to move forward with the potential sale of the Foothills Branch Library and its re-location to the Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center.
Background
At the February 3, 2015, Council Workshop, City staff presented a concept to potentially sell the FBL and re-locate and transform it to space currently available in the FRAC. In doing so, the City Council directed staff to conduct separate public hearings and a vote with the Library Advisory Board, the Arts Commission, and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. These meetings were conducted on February 9, 11, 12, 23, 25 and 26. The purpose of conducting these meetings was to provide staff the opportunity to present the concept to each of the three boards and commissions; answer questions; take public commentary on the proposed concept; and to provide an opportunity for the boards and commissions to make a formal recommendation to the City Council. In total, 395 persons signed-in as having attended the six meetings.
In addition to these six public meetings, a special website was established to provide the public with meeting dates and information related to the concept. Public comments were solicited through comment cards at each of the public meetings, at each of the three libraries, through the special website, via e-mail, and a phone hotline. The concept also received wide-spread media attention.
After their review and consideration of the concept, each...
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