Fort Walton Beach Council minutes — 02-13-07 workshop minutes — reading text

there is no schedule replacement for the library, so it cannot be declared excess until a process is set forward to build a new building because then they would be showing the intent for it to be access. The City Attorney replied in the affirmative. Mr. Minich expressed it is a bad idea as the library is part of a plan that has helped to restore downtown to be a vital area of the City, and it was said at a CRA meeting that it is one of the critical elements to doing a restoration of a downtown area. The Mayor commented he thought that the process would have been someone saying the library is in a bad location, it is not good there; and if it is not good there, where is a better location; and if there is a better location, what is the cost associated with building one in a different location and the whole process. He believed they are way ahead of taking a vote on the issue until they make a determination it is a bad location. He did not believe that after only five years in existence it is no longer good. Mr. Holmes commented it is not a bad idea and thought they need to look at it because there mayor is may not be a good option. He said it is too early to say it will not look and what needs to be decided whether they want to pursue it and if so, then task someone to come up wth some answers. Dr. Pullen expressed his thoughts that the library is in a poor location, there is no parking, it is squeezed in, there is a beautiful building no one can see, and in the near future it will hinder the development of downtown. He thought there is nothing wrong with exploring the idea, to put it out that the City would be interested if someone could come up with a suggestion, and then proceed from there. Mr. Holmes suggested they discuss why it would be good to move it and what would be the advantage. Doug Reed, 842 Santa Rosa Court, commented the library is landlocked and both property owners on both sides of the Library have made it clear they will not sell. He commented the library is fantastic and is being used far beyond what was expected, but if in the future they want to expand, they are landlocked. He said they might have an opportunity to build a bigger, better library and asked Council to think about the fact that they are landlocked at the current location. James Thoreen, 33 Anastasia Drive, stated the City has a library, a museum on the Indian Mound, a theater, but it does not have an art museum. He said an art museum in that location along with a new library on the west side of the auditorium is something the Council should think about. He said it would not be a big tax source but if the City owned an art museum to complete its cultural appearance, he could find an organization willing to help staff it in the Arts and Design Society of Fort Walton Beach. He proposed Council think about using the site not as a liblary but as a museum.  Council Workshop 2- 13- 07 182 LIBRARY LOCATION cant. Millie Thrush, 316 Sudduth Circle, expressed her thought that the timing is not good to move the on the library; however, if it ever comes to building a new library, Council needs to look at the property east side of Eglin Parkway between First Street and Fourth Street where there is a lot of land that needs redevelopment. She did think the City needs an Arts Gallery downtown as they do need the library something downtown that will draw people, which was the original idea of placing downtown. She said they want to enhance the downtown and the next location should be in the downtown area. Charlene Greenwald, 206 Jet Drive, read into the record a letter dated February 12, 2007 addressed to the Mayor and City Council in support of the idea of relocating the library: hear As shopkeepers in the library lobby, members of the Friends of the Fort Walton Beach Library patrons concerns and experience the issues that swirl around our public library. Major concerns are: Accessibility Patrons cite the location as difficult to get to, out of the way. For example, westbound drivers intersection intending to use either First or Eglin need to be braking through the Eglin/ Florida Place rather than accelerating as the light is followed within feet by stop sign. a Not close to neighborhoods except immediate downtown condo community. Parking Insufficient spaces available except at night when patronage of the library is low probably due to safety & accessibility concerns. Any special occurrence at the library, a small meeting, large a overflow. That' s even when meeting, city training, children' s reading hour, etc., causes a parking Snowbirds are not in residence; when they are a full parking lot starts just about from 9 am opening. While additional parking is available off Ferry, patrons view off site accessibility as a major inconvenience and are quite vocal about the ' parking Access to the library using the situation.' dirt Ferry lot is either round- about using sidewalks or hiking the shorter path over uneven, rocky & inhabited property, then around the retention feature landscaped by tall ornamental grass and by feral cats. bare During construction to insure parking met code requirements, spaces were designed to meet minimum standards resulting in short, narrow design and minimal maneuvering open area. Parking and navigation of the compact lot in general, are a challenge for everyone, especially those with big vehicles, as the tire marked, sharply banked, U shaped round- about curb will attest to. Reports of vehicle dings, scratches and incidents are common. Design The long walk from the parking lot to the front door is a frequent source of complaints, particularly seniors. The strain is sometimes visible in body language. Loss of some patronage might be attributed to this favor. Inside, the long, narrow design limits staff' s ability to monitor activities & the check out counter does not face the door with the same limitations. the year! Electricity costs are high. At the end of January, electricity was at 44% of budget for Safety Concerns that children cannot safely access the library using bikes or even walking has been expressed. There are general concern about personal safety especially so at night probably explaining low evening patronage. Utilization It is said patrons have quit using the library because of difficult accessibility, lack of adequate parking and problems associated with the shelter seeker's constant presence. This in turn may be causing the library to be underutilized, thus, sharing in less of the cooperative money pie distributed according to patronage. Ascetics The absence of available ground to provide an ascetically pleasing environment is a loss for the community. Other than City Hall, the library is the single most important municipal building and should add to the identification of the city. The design should be handsome, the setting beautiful. Council Workshop 2- 13- 07 183 CITY LIBRARY cont. Instead, the city' s library is hidden behind a wall that attempts to disguise a carwash. In fact, the library entrance is exactly in front of the carwash machines. ' Attempts to disguise' is a carefully worded description because there is no way to ignore the sounds of machinery at work, car radios blasting and water mist disbursed by the wind. Those distractions are inescapable consequences of location. Friends membership has experienced concerns with all of the foregoing. Behavior problems such as aggressiveness, overt staring/ inappropriate comments; non- conformance to rules and acceptable social standards create a strained atmosphere between library patrons and shelter seekers. For a library to be the focus of on going controversy detracts from its mission to provide citizens with top notch seNice and, so, during the regular monthly Friends meeting February 12, members voted unanimously to support Councilman Tucker' s proposal to explore the relocation of the library to a more user friendly location. Respectfully submitted on behalf of Friends, Charlene Greenwald, President" Mr. Minich commented it is only a five year old building and it did not seem to be the thing to do at this point in time. In response to the question on the cost of construction for the library, the City Manager stated construction was $ 3. 1 million and the property cost 168, 000. approximately $ Dr. Pullen added that a library should be built where people have access to it and thought there was a State law that they have to build a library where public has access to it, and the does not have public access to the present location. US 98 TRAFFIC CONGESTION IMPROVEMENTS Update regarding US 98 traffic congestion improvements. The Public Works Director recalled that in June 2006 Council discussed a letter from the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) requesting Council's selection of a proposed bridge location. He said the feedback to RTA was not to select or approve a bridge location at that time, but seek other means to decrease the traffic delays, improve safety and reduce the traffic congestion. He will give an update on three traffic congestion improvements on Highway 98 which the Florida Department of Transportation has approved. The