I can see that I’m not making myself clear regarding what I find objectionable about recent events surrounding the library. Some people seem to think that I advocate no council oversight of the library board or that I think the advisory referendum should be taken as binding the council to every jot and tittle of the library board’s recommendation. Not so.
Let me try to explain my concerns (hopefully) better.
I believe that decisions like this one regarding library expansion should be made rationally and objectively, with real public participation and consideration of the needs of all stakeholders. I believe the library board has, to the best of their ability, done that. They have done their planning openly, had public meetings, included people in their strategic planning from all stakeholders (planning & growth department, chamber of commerce, school administration, etc.), and established an objective criteria for evaluating locations for a northern branch.
The library board ran all potential sites for a northern branch through their criteria and let the chips fall where they may. They looked at things like cost of acquisition, size, proximity to patrons, etc. The board’s initial preferred site — K’s Merchandise — did not make the cut. The board was surprised to find that the Sud’s property and the old Festival Foods were the top two sites, based on their objective criteria. That’s why they made the recommendation they did.
Contrast that with the city council. The council has no criteria for objectively choosing a site. Nor have they held any public meetings to get input from the community. The first site they floated was Elliott’s strip club on University. That was done behind the scenes in an attempt to influence the board with the promise of extra votes.
When that was shot down, the council suggested Expo Gardens. A meeting was hastily put together with representatives of the city, school board, and library board. The city is no doubt preparing its case for this site to present during the question and answer time with the library board that’s been added to the end of Tuesday’s council meeting.
Here’s the problem I have with this “process.” It’s not a process. It’s council members with pet projects or special interests using the library for their purposes instead of establishing a criteria and making objective and rational decisions based on that criteria. Nichting would like to see Elliott’s run out of the north end of town — that would be good for his constituents and it would be good for his district — so he suggests putting the library there. Spears has big plans for making the area around Expo Gardens into a family-friendly place for recreation and entertainment, so he suggests putting the library there.
Well, guess what? You can defend almost any site on that basis. Why not put a library in one of the form districts in the Heart of Peoria area? It would be a neighborhood anchor and spur redevelopment in those areas, it would be walkable, and I could come up with a hundred other benefits if I wanted. You probably can think of a lot of reasons putting a library near your neighborhood would be good, too. That’s not a reasonable or sufficient way to decide where the library is to be sited.
If the council has legitimate questions regarding the criteria the library used, I think it’s reasonable to discuss modifying that criteria — at an open meeting, with public/stakeholder input. Then, once everyone agrees on the criteria, go out and look at potential sites again, including any for which a council member has an affinity, and run them all through the criteria and may the best site win.
That’s what I’m advocating. Does that make it clearer?
CJ: Your explanation makes sense. The process has been hijacked. Regardless of the 72% — we cannot afford the $35M which will probably be $70M with interest. And if the process is hijacked than we will really be paying for yet another Peoria pet pig in a poke project.
The North University location is bothersome. There are too many parking lots to traverse to get there if you want to be able to walk to it.
I like the Expo Garden option. Kids could walk there after school, and it seems like the parking situation would be safer as well as more green space.
The kids could walk along Northmoor and University streets after school? Is this an attempt by District 150 to unload a 5 acre parcel of ground that they’ve been sitting on for 8 or so years?
And all I am saying is that approval by the Peoria City Council is PART of that process. C.J., Diane and virtually everyone else in Peoria are upset at the District 15o board for because they think their role is to approve what that the experts lay before them, because they certainly used an “objective” process. And for all the talk about the objective process that was followed, the criteria was developed by human beings who went into this with their own preconceived notions. All I want is for all options to be considered, because, oddly enough, sometimes the people we elect to look out for our interests have an idea or two.
it’s already sooo hectic along northmoor before/after school and the city wants to put something else (library) in that area??? nuts.
Why on earth would a library be built for North Peoria at a location south of Pioneer Parkway, a mile or so away from the Lakeview branch? Even if you don’t consider the six months and $100,000 worth of effort the Library Board put into this process only to have it chucked out the window by the City Council to feed their special interests … the location makes absolutely no sense.
In addition, I remember reading in the PJS that the Expo site has a lead problem and gas tanks in the ground from the old bus barn. With the environmental concerns and resulting clean-up costs, this project could turn from a money-saver to giant money pit in no time flat.
Finally, although a rather minor point in comparison, does anyone want to be sitting in a library at the Expo location while the Heart of Illinois Fair is going on? Tractor pulls and carnival rides just aren’t conducive to the library atmosphere. Or what about when there is a sporting event at Richwoods Stadium? I grew up a mile or so from Expo & Richwoods, and we could clearly hear the loudspeakers for both venues from our back yard.
Maybe they could get there 45 minutes before school started, before the traffic?
Are they even open then Randall?
Seriously I could care less about expansion if the friggen library isn’t open when I would most likely use it.
Like today (Saturday)… the Main Branch is CLOSED. During the SUMMER???? It is closed tomorrow too. It closes early (6pm) on Friday night. WTF. Seriously. People work during the week. Many don’t have time to go to the library Monday through Thursday. Kids need stuff to read during the week but they can’t cause it is CLOSED on the weekend. I prefer the main branch because it has the mostest. The hours I want are M-Sat open 8am till midnight. Sunday open 8am until 10p. Don’t think people would stay that late? Have you been to Barnes n Noble at 10p at night? The place is hoppin and most are not buying books.
I am not a big fan of the branch model. I do not like having library materials scattered to the four winds. It may be ‘ok’ for the kids stuff but as a gown up it is a huge irritant. Mind you, over the years my kid has wanted to check out numerous books only to be told, they are in multiple elsewheres. He goes empty handed. No I don’t want to wait a couple days for it to be moved from one library to another. No, I don’t want to drive all over town to get what I want, to check out. If someone wants to duplicate some holdings and put them in a branch. Fine. But there should be a Main library that has a copy of everything in it’s collection.
Randall, what is it about “latchkey” children that you think is so great? I don’t get it.
C.J., I thought you made yourself clear the first time and I agree. But, it looks like they are not going to approve that many $$$. Why does the Lincoln branch need refurbishing.? Can the funds for this facility be eliminated or reduced? Lakeview or whatever ends up serving citizens north of W. Memorial needs to be expanded!!! It is the most used library so I cannot see how the Council cannot approve some funding to enhance the offerings.
In the Summer, I take my children once or twice a week to the library and I am not kidding, sometimes the shelves are almost empty. The idea of a library is that it should be like a candy store, chocked full of tempting offerings. In its current state, Lakeview is not very inviting to young readers.
Also, I agree with mahkno, in part, the limited hours are ridiculous. The library is not open on Sundays and it is always closed for every miscellaneous holiday when the kids are out of school and looking for something to do. Do all employees always need the same days off? Normally businesses that serve the public have employees work rotating shifts in order to meet customer needs.
Wouldn’t you love to know to know who asked which of the 49 questions? It would say a lot about who we elected, wouldn’t it.
Here is my favorite: “16. Who was the councilman that put more money in the budget for more
computers in the libraries?”
Answer: Bill Spears!! I wonder if he wrote the question.
My favorite too. And the rest of the answer to question 16 was that the money was later cut.
Billy,
There is no comparison between the library siting controversy and District 150 cutting educational time for primary school kids. The D150 administration made its decision behind closed doors, with no public input. They didn’t carefully research and explore multiple options objectively over a period of 6 months. Not even close! D150 administrators scrambled to cover their rear-ends after they misspent nearly a million bucks in Title 1 grant money and then got busted in an audit. Their half-baked excuses and idiotic reasoning, now thoroughly demolished on the pages of this blog, came after-the-fact.
It was a joke Diane. Geez, talk about me not getting it.
KiD: I am sure that if one were to speak to the superintendents, assistant superintendents and other bureaucrats at D150, they will assure us the processes they use are objective and above board.
Time for a gut-check people. Consideration of the Exposition site isn’t based on process. That’s just an excuse. People just want what they want when they want it.
I’m not going to oppose CONSIDERATION of the Expo site because the city attorney and (apparently) three members of the council wanted to screw over Elliott’s.
If either of the two sites the library board prefers wins out, let it be because of the merits, not because the “process” must be defended.
The “process” I’m talking about is the one used to determine the merits of each site. If you want a site to win out “because of the merits,” how do you think that happens, exactly? And why do you refuse to acknowledge that the Expo site has already been considered? It didn’t make the cut. It lost out on the merits.
Please excuse my obvious ignorance to this subject, but can someone please answer this question… Will residents of Dunlap be able to use the new Peoria Public Library (whereever it may be)? The answer to this question could change my opinion on most ideal location.
C.J. I concede to that point, the Expo plan has been rejected — by the Library Board. When will YOU concede to the more important point: The final decision rests with the Peoria City Council. They are elected, the library board is not. The decision is theirs.
Diane, anyone can use any public library. I believe the people from West Peoria have to pay extra to use the Peoria library because their taxes do not reflect paying for it, so there is a fee. I would presume Dunlap would be the same. I do not know about the people who live in Peoria but send their children to Dunlap schools, however. I would think they already pay for the library with their taxes.
C.J.: Simple. My taxers are lower than they would be otherwise, yet people still receive the services they were getting before, if not more.
Diane,
If you live in Peoria and have a Peoria Library card you can use the Dunlap library even thought you have no tax dollars going towards that library district. As soon a property is annexed into the city of Peoria it pays taxes to the Peoria Public library. The library has nothing to do with the school.
Diane asks, “Will residents of Dunlap be able to use the new Peoria Public Library (whereever it may be)?”
Answer: Yes. Anyone can use any public library for reference. Additionally, if you have a library card from any library that is a member of the Alliance Library System (ALS), you can check out books in any other library that is part of ALS. Peoria and Dunlap public libraries are part of ALS.
Thanks, Tom.. but I think someone told me that Dunlap families must pay to use the Peoria libraries. Is that true and would that conceivably change with the addition of a new North branch library?
You know, all this discussion reminds me that I really need to get a library card …
If you live in unincorporated Peoria County and thus pay no taxes to any library district, you have to pay to get a library card (i.e., to be able to borrow books from the library).
CJ,
I about 95% sure that no part of Peoria County isn’t part of a library district.There are 8 library districts in the County of Peoria.
Tom — There are most assuredly parts of Peoria county that are not part of a library district. Where Billy used to live (Kingspark Estates) isn’t in a library district, for instance. When you go to apply for a library card at the Peoria Public Library, they always check your address for this reason.
CJ,
Kingspark Estates is in the Alpha Park Library district. I did forget about West Peoria, it isn’t in a park district.