Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-10-30 TranscriptionOctober 30, 1996 Council Work Session p~el October 30, 1996 Joint Library Board-Council Work Session 5:10 PM Council: Nov, Baker, Kubby, Lehman, Norton, Thomberry, Vanderhoef. Library Board: Hubbard, McMurray, Greenleaf, Spencer, Marlin, Traw, Cox (5:15 PM). Absent: Singerman, Swaim. Staff: Atkins, Helling, Woito, Karr, Franklin, Craig, Dilkes, Lubaroff, Nichols, Eckholt. Facilitator: Arkins. Tapes: 96-129, all; 96-130, side 1. Arkins/Good evening and welcome ..... The way we have the ... late agernoon planned for you is really going to be pretty straight forward ..... At this table, everybody is equal ..... 14 voices.... I will use the consensus method. Ill see some consensus and I call it, that ends it.... we move onto the next item. If you disagree, raise your hand and tell us why ..... This is to be a discussion about a capital project. This is not the operations of the library ..... Capital project planning session. I need ..... an understanding from the group that there is an agreement that the library needs to expand its services and facilities by way of this capital project. I am assuming that we have consensus then and we are going to move on ..... Hoping to arrive at some sort of a plan and a strategy with respect to the library project .... My trusty assistant... (Susan Craig) ... will be in charge of writing. When I think of the word plan, I think of something more physical.... When I think ofstrategy, who are the players and how can we sell the project. Two critical elements that I think we understand ..... overlap ..... The first exercise ..... What are the elements of a successful library expansion project?.... What do you, as individuals, believe those items to be? What is your read on the community? ...... Our first exemise ..... is again, what do you believe today? ... go around the table and you each get one. We will pause for a minute, think about it, we will start with Marty Martin .... Martin/Sufficient square feet to allow us to operate into the next century comfortably... More square footage. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 2 Norton/Easily accessible and d.t. Atkins/You gave us two .... Kubby/I can say d.t ..... Thomberry/....Contain high interest, high use materials with less popular items available quickly from other locations.... I could say adequate parking. Arkins/Adequate parking we can handle ..... Cox/I would like to see it form the cornerstone for a revitalized d.t.... It should be... impressive ..... Impressive. Baker/... public support. Atkins/ Traw/Affordable. Lehman/ ....packaging of this project is going to be the most element ..... Hubbard/Appropriate technology. Kubby/Full range of free services. McMurray/Patron friendly. Nov/Improved meeting space. Greenleaf/ .... square footage ..... to the reasonably foreseeable future that we talked about. We have been talking about 2010 ..... Atkins/ts this a bigger question .... Nov/Room for growth is an issue. Vanderhoef/Successful bond issue. Atkins/Let's get this hung up and I will come right back to you. Now, looking at that, I will give you or This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS!03096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session p~e3 Trawl ....Civic partnership. By that I mean all interested parties have a say ..... Arkins/All interested parties and civic partnership may be a little different. Traw/I want to stick with civic partnership ...... Norton/I wanted to .... interconnected with other aspects of d.t. improvements ..... connected with other purposes like Centerspace .... Arkins/Multi-joint use. Norton/...part of a overall package that is bigger than just the library. Atkins/ Cox/Something that gets everybody excited about the d.t. Council/ Kubby/Integrated with other projects? Norton/...like to see the library as part of a package. Atkins/Part of a package .... Thomberry/... possibility of a public/partnership to help the cost effectiveness ..... Arkins/A public/private partnership and that is somewhat both use and financing. That is a comprehensive statement that you are making. Cox/I think part of the package thing will make it successful. Baker/ Thomberry/Use and/or financial. Arkins/Okay. Traw/Meets the identified needs. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS 103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 4 Arkins/And that is library specific? Trau/Library specific. Atkins/Okay. Meets the library needs of the community. Hubbard/ ....I was thinking about community input in the planning. Atkins/A participation kind of a statement. Hubbard/Give them a chance to review what we propose and comment up on it. I think that is participation. Atkins/ Kubby/Council actively campaigning for a bond issue. I think that will be an element of a successful expansion .... Arkins/Passive and active support and you are saying active? Kubby/I am saying active ....Council actively campaigning. McMurray/...having the public understand what the future needs are, not just the current needs, but the future needs.... Public education. Arkins/Of the project. Nov/Good design ..... Greenleaf/ ....Private library fundraising.... through the Foundation. Vanderhoef/I was thinking about it in the public/private partnership. Greenleaf/ ....joint use .....look at them as somewhat distinct. Thornberry/I wasn't thinking ofthat when I said public/private use .... Vanderhoeff ..... I am concerned about good design for future growth of the building structure itself.. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 5 Norton/We can't take issue with anything yet, I take it? Arkins/You will get a chance to do that. Anybody else .... Hubbard/ ....consider both elements, capital and operating. Kubby/As part of the educational program, talk about both of those. Arkins/ Norton/Thorough justification. We have to have a really convincing presentation ofthe case. Thomberry/On an expansion project, ! am not sure that only d.t. needs to be looked at ..... possibility of having branch elsewhere other than d.t. Atkins/Library expansion. The general consensus had been- Thornberry/Expansion of the library.... does not necessarily mean the physical building in one location. Arkins/Branch library ..... Okay. Anyone else? Any general- Okay.... Is there anything in here that is obviously repetitive? ...... Baker/Public support and justification. Norton/Justification goes together with needs to identif3, library needs. Atkins/I see two things. One is plan and strategy begin to overlap.... Secondly.... we have.... internal-external... Bottom line would be all of these are critical elements to our expansion project. D.t. language came up frequently ..... expansion of library service does not have to occur d.t ......Hold those for a little bit. We come back to them. CHART #1 ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL LIBRARY EXPANSION More Square footage Easily accessible and downtown Downtown This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of Oetober 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session p~e6 Adequate parking Impressive Public support Affordable (capital and operating) Packaging Appropriate technology Full range of free service Patron friendly Improved meeting space Room for growth Successful bond issue Civic partnership Part of package Public/private partnership (use and/or financial) Meets identical library needs of the community Community input in planning Council actively campaigning for project Public education ofthe project/needs Good design Private library fundraising Thorough justification Branch libraries Arkins/ .......The question that I am going to pose to you is what are the options available? These four options have already been reviewed by the library .....And I put these on to start the discussion on options because I think this component of what we are about to do now is going to be the most difficult and so I want you to be very clear. The Library Board, as part of their charge, reviewed each of these and came up with a choice ..... Since that time... other folks have got other ideas and other options ..... What I would like to do now ..... Is there an option out there that appeals to you that you want the group to think about. We understand the four.... alternate space needs. What other options? 1 can think of one immediately: build a new library. Now that has a very far reaching consequences... figure out what that means .....What options are out there? ......I am opening the question to the group. Norton/Would you repeat it, please? Arkins/We know these five options have been reviewed. We have added another one: build a new library which has evolved ...... Build a new library: 64-1A, other This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 7 properties in d.t., combine with and combine without. That is what I am looking for. We need to define these options ......This is more than a library project. I need to know what that means to you. Kubby/Two options... 64-1A mixed use ...... Atkins/ Norton/With retail and CenterSpace component .....mixed use ..... Arkins/Do you want just mixed use? ....... Norton/Private use. Atkins/ Thomberry/Public/private partnership use and offinancial. It doesn't necessarily, the building, have to be exclusively for the library. Atkins/ .....You concur with that, a mixed use. Thomberry/Mixed use between library and private. Nov/ Norton/ Arkins/ Lehman/ ..... it becomes a matter of how a project could evolve by expanding on adjacent property, how that compares with building a new mixed use building ..... Atkins/You have expressed.... adjacent property concept. Lehman/Could very well be 64-1A. Arkins/...that is a different project. Expanding to adjacent property is Lenoch and Cilek. Going to 64-IA is a new project. Norton/1 have another location, Steve. How about the bus station corner.'? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 8 Atkins/ ....other locations: bus station. Norton/And adjacent properties. Vanderhoet7 Another location... University... parking facility at comer oflowa and Gilbert ..... labeled for parking ramp ..... There is space on our Civic Center lot and.... by the Senior Center. Atkins/...Civic Center lot ....Senior Center .....Okay, what else... options? Hubbard/ Norton/It would include the parking lot next to their... Chamber... John Wilson's building.... over to Chauncey Swan Plaza ...... Atkins/Anything else, new library. (Man)/... a portion of64-1A would be used for library expansion and maintain the existing facilities. Atkins/I think you need to add to that list, you build a new library, you close the other one. Close old/alternate use. You are not going to tear it down. Kubby/But that was not the idea that was just put out. Atkins/ Craig/Partial use of 64-1A for the library, combined with the current library. Arkins/A bridge. Craig/ Arkins/Expand to adjacent property.... 64-1A. Make that an adjacent property option. Any other options that are out there? (Man)/You could build it any place else out ofd.t. ifyou could find appropriate property. Atkind Anywhere else outside ofd.t.. Pick a spot ...... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996, WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 9 Kubby/What about south of Burlington... in terms of long haul vision. Atkins/Okay, anything else on options to consider? Any options you don't think we talked about? ..... Nov/ Arkins/Anything else on options? ...... Kubby/Thing I want to clarifi~ is the library's options were limited by the rules that were placed upon them.... and one of the contingencies of hands off of 64-1A has been removed ..... Norton/ Atldns/My point is that we have all heard different ideas. I just want to make sure we get them all written down ..... We got to get them down and out on the table so there is no doubt what we are talking about ..... The rules changes and around this table, everybody is equal tonight. Okay, anything else on options7 Craig/64-1A._ I have heard a lot o£different scenarios for that. Lehman/ Kubby/ Arkins/We have had a mixed use, we have had a sole use.... 64-1A has popped up several times. Nov/l£you build something on 64-1A and you don't build multiple levels, the library will not take up the whole space. There£ore, it has to be mixed use. Kubby/ Atkins/All we are doing is we are brainstorming right now. Thomberry/Along with branch being in its own building, I think that a branch with a private pannership is a possibility. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session p~e10 Craig/ Thomberry/A branch library mixed use.... they did it in Canton, Ohio. Arkins/Now, let's take another look at these options: CHART 02 OPTIONS Expand - present site Expand - adjacent property 64-1A (L & C) Branch library - construct Branch library - lease mixed use Book mobile Build a new library on 64-1A 64-1A - private use - mixed use Other locations- -bus station, Wilson's, etc. (Gilbert and College) -Senior Center parking lot - Civic Center parking lot - U. of I. property - Iowa and Gilbert Close old/alternative use Within city limits South of Burlington Atkins/The question is that when we build a new library, I am making the assmnption that we close the old one. The doors close and we use it for something else That use to be decided ...... Is that what we heard? ...... an alternative use for the old one. Thomberry/ Arkins/It is going to be difficult to analyze the new library ideas. New library and I want the 4-5 meaty options ..... I am trying to understand what a new library means to each of you. These are options for a new library ..... (Writes following chart): CHART #3 NEW LIBRARY Mixed use of site Availability of 64-1A Availability of other sites Sole use orsitc [Closing old-alternative use] This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 11 Kubby/With the sole use of site, any site we choose to build a new library on if we chose that option, could be mixed or sole use ...... Atkins/ Kubby/I just don't want the 64-1A in parenthesis after sole use to limit our thinking. Arkins/Then we need to put it down. Kubby/Sole use of site, whatever site. Mixed use of site no matter what site you choose. Atkins/ ....mixed use, sole use, wherever it is ..... Norton/ Arkins/Anything else to describe this new library? Anything we are missing? ...... Norton/ Atldns/The next question is of the options, which fulfills your description of a successful project. You have got to do some priorities now. What I would like to do is .... each run of you is going to be given stickers. What ! want you to do is you are given eight stickers. CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 96-129 SIDE 2 Arkins/Give them any color they want. Lehman/Do it that way. Arkins/Take your stickers ....... eight of them. Put a sticker on everyone of those that you agree with. But you only get eight. (Reviews Chart # 1 Note: 0-orange sticker Library Board. B-blue sticker Council] CHART #1 ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL LIBRARY EXPANSION ,/More Square footage Easily accessible and downtown ooobobo bbo This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of tile Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page12 ,~'Downtown Adequate parking Impressive · /Public support ,/Affordable (capital and operating) Packaging ~'Appropriate technology Full range of free service Patron friendly Improved meeting space · /Room for growth Successful bond issue Civic partnership Part of packa'ge boooobboobo bbbb bobbooo bb oobobo ob ooboo bbobo bbbboo bo o bbbb Public/private partnership (use and/or financial) bbb ,/Meets identical library needs of the community oooobbbboo Community input in planning ~Council actively campaigning for projectooobbb Public education of the project/needs bo ~'Good design bbbbooboo Private library fundraising o Thorough justification bb Branch libraries b Atkins/What I marked (-/) are your successful, are those items that have six or more and again, the colors were to show you where folks thinking is depending on from where you are coming. Kubby/I did not put stickers on things that I thought were important that were assumed like more square footage or public support ..... Lehman/ ....packaging and public/private partnerships are basically the same thing ..... Nov/Package and partnership could be interchangeable. Atkins/Let's look just look and see if we have any general themes in here ..... (reviews list) ..... Room for growth, does that mean expandable? Norton/I don't understand that. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 13 Atkins/...talk about it. Kubby/Expandability later on. Arkins/Room for growth to me meant when we build, so that in 25 years we can add another wing. Norton/...I don't agree with that interpretation .....I think you build it and if you have to go beyond that, you go somewhere else. Atkinst Meets identified library needs.... Think about, is the library intended to be a public gathering space or is it intended to be a library. Kubby/Our library is both. Atkind Wl-,at could you do if you took Room A and shut it down and made it library space. Kubby/A riot. Atkins/This was all hypothetical. Kubby/If 64-1A were constructed with good usable public meeting space, the library expansion could take in that meeting space they currently have. Arkins/ ....add public meeting space... other things you can do. Council actively campaigning.... good design .... Kubby/Room for growth and good design can add a little bit of money to the project and there is strong council support for both of those things. Atkins/Knowing what the key elements are... Let's go to the options you think we can get rid of. Baker/ .....I want to get a clarification on room for growth.... I didn't see building into this project a potential for another expansion 20 years down the road. I disagree with that concept .... Cox/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 14 Thomberry/You have got a library that is 6 floors... with a University library four blocks away.... How big of public library do we need in d.t. Iowa City and still meet the needs of the community7 Kubby/...if we are going to build a new building ....commercial growth, residential growth .... Atkins/There is a usable life in any type of capital facility and you will build into the library some room for reasonable growth .....Room for growth could mean branches.... a number of things. Norton/What I thought it meant is you would build it for what it now projects.... I ain't building for the year 2050 ...... Atkins/There is an outside limit on any capital facility .....useable life. Lehman/ ....growth factor ..... Norton/ Traw/My understanding... this group is not going to plan for year 2050 .....Room for growth was an option concept .... Kubby/It could also be for other public space.... having that kind of flexibility. Arkins/Pull this out for the time being... go to the options .....I will ask that question, is there room for growth on the present site? (Reviews Chart #2 - crosses off) CHART #2 OPTIONS Expand prcscnt site Expand - adjacent property 64-1A (L & C) Branch library construct Branch library lease mixed use Book mobile Build a new library on 64-1A 64-1A - private use - mixed use Other locations- This represents only a reasonably accurate transcriptlon of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 15 -bus station, Wilson's, etc. (Gilbert and College) Senior Center parking lot - Civic Center parking lot - U. of I. property - Iowa and Gilbert Close olcl/altemative use Within city limits South of Burlington Arkins/Seems to me the decision that you are coming very close to is that expansion is in d.t; 64-1A is clearly an option, you want it to be part of a comprehensive project involving some other uses. Kubby/Interesting to spend a little bit of time talking about the d.t. Atkins/ Cox/ Arkins/I am trying to go with the best of what we see in here. Remember... we have got plan and strategy mixed all throughout here. I am trying to give you a plan ..... Cox/I am just saying that he has said, as a group, that we want it to be part of an overall plan which I don't necessarily agree with. But it isn't really one of the things that we have identified to be part of the whole plan and we had options to identify that but we didn't. Arkins/You identified it, you just didn't give it much support. Cox/So I don't see that ...conclusion that we want it to be part of the whole plan. We had the option to say we did but we didn't say it. Kubby/ Lehman/ Atkind Martin/We voted with our stickers according to the constituency we are trying to serve... 1 don't have anything against considering a mixed use situation or a public/private This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 16 partnership, not at all ......I just didn't have enough stickers to put on every place ..... Arkins/Mixed use implies mixed use. A component of that mixed use is a library that satisfies the identifiable needs of the community. That is what it means to me ..... whatever your needs are, incorporate those into a mixed project. That is what I heard you say. Atkins/ Hubbard/We don't want to library to go down the tube just because we have proposed something that includes a lot of other things. Atking/... But you have said the library is part of a more comprehensive project. Kubby/That it could be .... Baker/Don't you have to rule out sole use of site under new library... that is not a goal. Kubby/I don't know if we have done that as a group. Norton/... I think it makes a package that is more attractive and more salable and more efficient. I am trying to make a virtue out of necessity to some extent ......That is why the mixed use comes up. Vanderhoef/ ..... do that in a new building.... capital needs in the rest of the city.... If you don't get it too mixed with other projects. Nov/We have talked about conference space for a long time. Arkins/Your conversation is we support mixed use. Kubby/...sole use meets these criteria.... we get into a potential conflict down the road with mixed use unless it was a scenario.... with this room for growth... for the library .... Arkins/ Kubby/That is a caution ....mixed use .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 17 Thornbemy/What I saw in the new building.... on expansion of adjacent property, they were going to lease back some of that space. Kubby/But there was room for expansion above ..... Thomberry/ .... still has those lead nearing walls ..... might be needed in year 2012... then you could take their space and just expand up a floor. Atkins/Let me deal with the locationat issue.... The library... was a mixed use concept... was pretty well on the table... established.... Mixed use is established. That was the original library proposal. Now is the discussion, I don't like the location, put it somewhere else? ..... Is that what I am hearing. (Several people said yes). Lehman/A new library on 64-1A or use of the present facility expanded over there. Atkins/That is an affordability question .... cheaper to build a new library on 64-1A? ... Is it easier to build a wing on the library and bridge it over, have it part of other mixed use projects. lfaffordability is the critical issue, we can't answer that tonight, we have got to go back and do your cost estimates. Hubbard/I think we would have a more functional library if we simply built a new now and used the current building for some other use. Greenleaf/I think that as an important distinction that we ought to keep in mind here, when the Lenoch and Click project was brought forth, that was a mixed use because that maintained the status quo, retail presence on the plaza and we did not want to disturb that. If we are talking about other sources of mixed uses... new site... other public entities... other private developments, that to me, they are kind of two separate issues ...... I would approach them differently. I knew very definitely what I was trying to preserve in the Lenoch and Cilek project. Whereas ifwe would go elsewhere, we are talking about a much grander scheme and a lot of new inputs ..... Arkins/ .... you felt that was an important part of the success of the project was maintaining that commemial space ..... Tax base issue ..... Question is we are hearing that 64-1A to be put to some productive use and that we have in front of us a very real project, that is a library expansion. Let's put a library expansion or This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 18 new, cost it out.... on 64-1A as a component as other mixed uses.... Mixed uses is acceptable. Trawl The Library Board is not equipped... to design a multi-use facility that is going to solve the city's parking problems and accommodate everybody's interest ..... Atkins/But if you buy in as a Library Board conceptually, that is the driving force to cause these other things to occur ..... A direction you establish out of this is to get a library.... Other folks are saying I want a mixed use. Nov/We do not expect the library to design other space than the library space itself ..... I don't see this as a conflict. There would have to be more than one person involved in the design. Kubby/... might have to say yes to a certain range of square footage... range of cost ..... And where is it within the physical space in the mixed use. Trawl Time and money are two issues ..... The time it is going to take to get community support for a facility that is going to do 25 different things ..... Cox/And it is not going to meet the identified library needs of the community. Vanderhoef/ .... I do not see how growth and expansion of the library is real compatible with performing arts kinds of spaces. I see it more in a more traditional building with the flexibility for office space, conference space that are more open and less intensive in design for a specific use like a cultural center ..... If we could split out what uses we see would be compatible and would help work with the timeline that I hear the Library Board is really concerned about ..... Arkins/You can't settle the timing question tonight. But you can settle the general frame work of what is an acceptable project for you because you are going to have to send it back and you are going to have to do estimates... you can always phase the project. Kubby/ Atkins/What I am assuming you will do, is once you settle in on the general project framework, you are cutting us loose to put this thing together for us .... Norton/A really serious feasible study .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 19 Atkins/Right now we are trying to decide the library. You have decided it is mixed use .... d.t .... current site is to be preserved ..... then the packaging. Kubby/I don't know if we agreed that it has to be mixed use .... Arkins/I came to the mixed use because your previous project was .....simple show of hands. Greenleaf/I am not endorsing mixed use but I would necessarily be voting against it .....I have a product that I now sell. A mixed use... I don't know if that product sells .... Kubby/ Thombeing/ Greenleaf/My first sale is 60% of the voters to approve a bond issue. That is the first sale I am thinking about ..... Nov/... part of this discussion depends on the site.... city council .... oral commitment to a mixed use on 64-1A site ..... It is a large square footage. If you are going to go for the site where the bus depot is now.... you could build a four story library.... don't need another use at that site. It will depend upon location. Martin/...definition ofd.t.... Your definition... was that it needs the plaza. We did not .... When you build the Chauncey Swan parking lot and try to convince the public.. that that is d.t.... you ought to be able to put a librmy next to it and still say it is d.t. Atkins/ Kubby/When I put my blue sticker on d.t., I mean the plaza because I think it is an integral part of the core ofd.t. Thomberry/Bremer's would say the plaza is not necessarily the only part ofd.t. Kubby/ Norton/We do have to get clear on site location ..... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 20 Craig/... If the library is to be on 64-1 A, the council says it must be with something else. Norton/We are obliged. Hubbard/However that requirement can be met... leaving adequate space for construction of something else. Norton/It could be met by having a piece of the library, too. Thornberry/ ....I really at this point would like to say not retail. Lehman/How much time and effort and expense, ifwe had 3-4 concepts in front of us as to what are the possibilities?.... I think we need some basic concepts of what can go on that property. }tubby/ Arkins/What is mixed use- CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 96-130 SIDE 1 Vanderhoef/Help me out with visioning council did with 64-1A. As I recall, it did not include library and we had so many uses. Arkins/It had public space .....and co~fference space... Norton/...Does the library have to be within the confines of the ped mall or is outside of that a possibility.... We ought to decide, do you want it outside Gilbert Street or inside, for example. Karen's point about being south .... Thomberry/... The old library was on Linn Street and it was a d.t. library. Norton/...where are the limits of it? Arkins/Do you want to make a locational decision... You have got to say it is d.t. Now, what is d.t.? Kubby/Is there general consensus for 64-IA? Narrow it down ...... Norton/With the implied ....mixed use. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the 10wa City council meeting of October 30, 1996, WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session p~e21 Thomberry/If it is on a different piece of property, it could be a sole use building. Kubby/With the understanding that if people said yes to 64-1 A, it would be mixed use. Arkins/64-1A is automatic mixed use. I think you have established that. Kubby/ Norton/This could be kind of pretentious. Craig/Could we get rid of some of these locations? Senior Center parking lot- A~kins/ Traw/If there is a sole use facility that the council would endorse and support a library on, that would be the preference of the Library Board... somewhere in the d.t. area ..... Kubby/I probably could support a sole library in the Civic Center lot or a mixed use library in 64-1A ..... we could look at those options. Greenleaf/ Arkins/64-IA mixed use is okay. Norton/Yes. Arkins/Make a list. Lehman/ Kubby/ Baker/... they want library space. The council has another goal as well. We have other public space that we need to provide somehow ..... I would prefer that we don't present two different packages to the public eventually ..... It is one package that serves more than one public function. It may not accomplish... Centerspace.... got to accomplish some basics... conference center. I don't want us to end up with two different bond issues. I think that is my point. I want one bond issue. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October :}0, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 22 Norton/So you think we ought to make a choice between sites. Baker/...64-1A mixed use .....and we go out and try to put it together .... Norton/ Arkins/ Baker/Clearly it is at least two floors of library space on 64-1A and conference space and then private space to be determined use of later. But that is private money as well. We are talking about public space and public money to include more than the library on that site. Arkins/64-1A mixed use with library a part of it or sole use of another site. Is it that simple.'? Norton/Yep, that is where we are at. Arkins/Sole use on another site implies yoa are going to renovate the current one You are not going to throw it away ..... Baker/l£we do sole use another site, we have got another issue which is d.t. development .... Arkins/Both of these are acceptable. Is that where we are. These are acceptable. Cox/No, we are not there yet. Baker/Sole use on another site is not necessarily acceptable to me. Cox/It means we are held up by whatever plan. Kubby/Remember we already have sort of a vision... 64-1A... some that work has already been done .... Nov/ Thomberry/That is why mixed use.. private, you have some leasable space. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 23 Vanderhoef/Include at least office meeting room kind of space above and beyond the library space... I am also specifically asking about offices on upper floors. Arkins/Mixed use other than the public is going to be driven by the market ..... Vanderhoeff I am not saying private office space. I am talking civic office space. So that it will be all public spaces. Kubby/ ....If council does not want to see a sole use coming in, then we need to give that message to the Libras5, Board ..... Nov/I would like to bring in one ~nore mix ..... If we are going to construct something on 64-1a, that includes some meeting space and includes some underground space that the library could use, they may be able to expand their current meeting space plus their second floor.... If64-1A is being constructed anyway and if there is going to be a basement in it anyway, connect the meeting rooms under the plaza to the library is a relatively easy thing to do. Arkins/The library has the ability to expand fight now 8,000 square feet on that additional floor.... convert Room A to library space. That can occur right away ..... Then you expand what your other library needs are on 64-1A .....You are in library business not the conference room business. Cord We are sort of in the conference room business, too, because people come into the library... we want them in there. Atkins/Based on that theory, you should build it right across the street from the Rec Center ..... Martin/Steve, it would be a great deal if you could say something about what a planning process would look like that would develop a final proposal for mixed use 64-1A and how would the Library Board relate to that process. Arkins/What I would envision occurring ..... that 64-1A, we would lay out a project...that would have a variety of components. One of the key components .... is the library needs 25,000 square feet. That gets built in immediately. In addition... you would have a conference center... CenterSpace... almost as building blocks. You build it phase by phase if you want. We would have a comprehensive plan for the site, first phase of the comprehensive plan is additional library space. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WSi03096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 24 Franklin/Yes, you would have to look at it comprehensively. And I think in answer to your question, Mark, where the Library Board would come in and all the other interested groups would be at that very beginning stage.... whether we phased it or not would be an economical decision. Atkins/... library interest in this case if this gets held up, the library needs are held up and I think council is saying we are not talking about holding it up. We just want to do it comprehensively and here is your piece of it and here is how your piece fits into the plan for 64-1A .... Kubby/;..We would have to be committed that the Planning Department's work program included making this happen sooner rather than later ..... Martin/... I want a new library as part of 64-1A mixed use and you can do whatever you want with the old building ..... Our concern is time... fact that we are running out of space... that we are going to have to do something in this process to utilize the space we already have in the interim period to make something work here.... It is going to take the ability of all of us around the table to look beyond our particular concerns to the vision ofwhat this community needs ..... timely manner and meet the needs we have identified on the board in terms of the library. Atkins/Mixed use is not out of the question, 64-1A is not out of the question. Timing appears to be a question. Vanderhoef/Something that hasn't been mentioned... about 64-1A property is that in the past there has been conversation by the DTA and several others about retail on the first floor and this is one of the things I have not been able to reconcile in my mind is how do we keep retail on 64-1A and accommodate a library who also would choose to be on first floor. Atkins/I think it is a design question. Franklin/I think it is also a market question ......There is going to be a real question as to how much more retail we can put in .... Arkins/That fashion needs to be designed in a fashion where it could be used for a variety of sources.... those are design questions ..... Nov/IfPenny's moved out, there is 75,000 square feet that is potential usable space. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the 10wa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session p~e25 Traw/I don't understand how this timing issue is going to be resolved when nobody can agree on the mixed use and we are not going to have any input into that. Atkins/We don't know what the mixed use is because it is market driven ..... Trawl How in the hell do you come up with a single bond issue that passes at one time? Atkins/ Greenleaf/ ..... I think the library has had excellent political support from this community.... I think.... we can sell a new library ..... Kubby/The other things... there are specific uses for specific square footage. We can get people together.... I believe that it can happen .... Arkins/The library has a much more narrow parochial agenda ..... Kubby/Are there four council members who demand that it be on 64-1A... if that is the case we have an obligation to say that out loud and move forward. Norton/My only question.... responding now to Chuck and Steve. There has got to be an alemerit of reality about this thing ....... If it is not realistic, then to tie them into it is unfair to their purposes and hard work.... Is it is viable proposal.... take a look at it and see ..... Kubby/Parallel tracks of looking at both at the same time so that if one doesn't seem feasible, we have already been working on the other. Norton/I think we need to pursue both of those and see how realistic this one is and what the feasibility of the other one is.... cost figures... We need to move promptly. Thornberry/If we build a new single use library on a property other than 64-1 A, the space in the current library could be used for CenterSpace... whatever ....Would that take two bonds issues or could that be combined into one? Arkins/Depends on the cost of the renovation .....That building would have to be gutted.... Given the amount of money .....there is no real free clear space to design.... You could put it as one bond issue. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 26 Norton/Karen's parallel plan of where we pursue the separate site and see what that looks like and at the same time consider what other uses might be made of the library site, either public and space... plus 64-1A... parallel things.... We have got to get some reality in here. Franklin/You are talking about a mixed use project... public private kind of project. It does not need to be that right away. You can do a private... much more control if it is a mixed use project but public space. Then you have total control ofthat project ..... There is a cost associated with that ..... Kubby/Could you then condominiumize some of that public space so it is back on the tax roles...7 Franklin/Yes, you could. Kubby/Building it all as public and later on... when the market is ready for private entities. Nov/You could say that you are renting space ..... Kubby/It almost sounds like that our preference may be 64-1A mixed use if it is feasible and realistic but then have this parallel track of sole use on another site.... We are still moving forward and ready to go. Nov/I think if we are going to say sole use on another site, we ought to select one of those things on the list ..... We ought to really narrow this ..... Atkins/You are coming to the conclusion of authorizing the direction for a feasibility study is to do both. 64-1A mixed use with an appreciation of the tinting that the library wants. In other words, sooner than later. At the same time.... a sole use site at the same time. Nov/It would be my preference to eliminate the sole use site and to go only to 64olA. Arkins/I hear you want both of them. Thomberry/I think we should look at both ......Doing both at the same time .....We have got a fall back position ..... Kubby/ ....It would be economics that would make us look at sole use. Is that the case? .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 27 Thomberry/ Lehman/The thing that concerns me ..... if it takes so long to package these things... sake of the library, we may have to have a plan B which could be implemented at a much more timely fishion. Traw/Library Board's concern is time, it is accessibilities, sooner rather than later and it is having what we need to meet our patrons needs .....Make an agreement that you are going to build the library portion first ..... Thomberry/ Trawl ....move ahead with the library portion regardless of whether you finish the other pieces. A lot easier for us to buy into it. Atkins/ Norton/Both of your plans, Steve, have to consider alternate use or substitute uses of the present library. Arkins/We need direction from you. Here is what ..... Kubby/I have a summary... I wanted to say it out loud ..... That our preference would be for 64-1A mixed use but we will go on a parallel track for feasibility study for sole use on another d.t. site which might get narrowed down in a few minutes and that money and timing will be the factors that will decide which direction we will be going. Arkins/I think you need to add the elements that the renovation of the current building has to be incorporated into that. Baker/Is it the implicit understanding that we have ruled out 64-1A as the sole site use for the library? Council and Board/(Yes). Kubby/When we say renovate the current site, does that mean in a bond issue there would be money for renovation or just that it would be available for renovation .... Arkins/You should renovate it im~nediately .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page28 Nov/It would depend on what the use would be. Chart t/4 WHAT DOES PUBLIC SUPPORT MEAN7 64-1A mixed use phases affordability library priority If64-1A 1. Mixed use 2. Sole use another site 3. Sole use another site - renovate current Arkins/I understand that ..... 64-IA mixed use, feasibility study simultaneously to do a sole use on another site clearly with the understanding that renovation of current, if it is necessary.... as part of that review.... money and timing... library having a priority of timing I think if you look at those sites.... I think you have the Civic Center site and the bus station are probably the most viable options... parking ..... Baker/If we are going to talk... makes sense.... set a deadline for us to decide .... If it is a sole site, sole use on another site, we need to have another discussion about what the council will support in terms of money and size. I still have a disagreement about long term plans ..... Atkins/I think we need to do... no more than 30 days. We will go back ..... she will go back. We will prepare a memo to you outlining what we believe the decision that you have just made and the direction and we will move as quickly as we can to entertain whatever type of consulting work we need to have. We are going to spend some money ..... Kubby/But that is acceptable. We are saying yes to the money. Council/(Yes). Arkins/You are not open ended budget but we need to have a policy direction on the thing and that is what I heard you say. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS 103096 Octobe~ 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 29 Thomberry/Will the Library Board be involved in the financing of the feasibility study? Arkins/That is sort of up to you because you give them their money ..... Lehman/ Arkins/ Hubbard/Do you want any guidance from the Library Board about which other site? Craig/We have narrowed it down, Phil, to the comer of Gilbert and College. Arkins/The bus depot .... Nov/Chauncey Swan .....If we are going to redo something, let's redo the old bus depot. Kubby/I thought the Civic Center was also- Franklin/The bus depot site includes- Nov/The alley to College Street. Norton/tt does not include the park ..... Arkins/We will get to that. So the Library Board understands. What we do internally is we normally form in-house teams. Susan would become a part of the team. She would be representing your interests when she works with Karin and Chuck.... we do them as groups... She will then have first hand knowledge and report everything back to you. Kubby/Are we saying there is only one site that the sole library use is acceptable7 Arkins/Two, Civic Center and bus station ..... We will answer that.... We will prepare a confirming memo to you, much sooner than later. It will go out to everybody. I would like to put it on your respective agendas to make sure you understand .... Baker/Is it the sole use another site, the only sites under consideration are across Gilbert? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October :30, 1996. WS103096 October 30, 1996 Council Work Session page 30 Atkins/Those two appear to be the preferred. I would like to see some flexibility that if we are looking around and we see something that feels interesting, we would tell you. Norton/Including south of the Holiday Inn. Arkins/ Kubby/We said d.t. and across Burlington is not d.t. Baker/That changes the whole dynamic. Nov/I think we ought to limit this to property currently owned by the city ..... Arkins/Okay. Nov/ Kubby/ Arkins/Let's do this. Our priority will be publicly owned property with an understanding that ifa project needs to be fitted in and you have to get some private acquisition, that will just simply costed out as a component of it. Kubby/It seems like we have moved very far from the last time we were together and I think some ofit is going through these kinds of processes help us focus our conversation .... Thornberry/Steve ..... Nov/We appreciate your efforts. Adjourned: 7:30 PM This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of October 30, 1996. WS103096