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News :: Elections & Legislation : Government Secrecy |
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Chronology of Events for the Library Expansion Project |
Current rating: 0 |
by Esther Patt
(No verified email address) |
13 Feb 2005
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A detailed chronology of important events surrounding the Urbana Free Library expansion project based on documentary evidence from the News-Gazette, and video recordings of Urbana City Council meetings. |
July 1999
The library board wanted a $7 million project and the mayor had been fighting with them for months about it. He insisted the city could spend no more than $3.5 million which, along with $1 million to be raised by the Foundation and some state grants would total a $4.75 million expansion project which was expected to increase the size of the library 50%.
Tod asked City Council, Library Board and Library Foundation to approve a joint agreement to develop a schematic design for a $4.75 million expansion project. Council passed a motion approving the joint agreement AND asking for a comparison between the $4.75 million and $7 million plans to show what would be lost with the smaller plan so that city council could add more on later.
February 2000
At a joint meeting of the library board and city council, architects’ preliminary report was presented. It appeared that at least half of the $4.75 million would be needed just for renovation in the old part of the library. Much of this work was 10 years of deferred maintenance.
In response to council’s request for a comparison between $4.75 million and $7 million plans, council members were told that the cost difference translates into a difference in square footage and would mean some reduction in numbers of book shelves, seats, computer work stations, etc. depending on total square footage of the addition.
Library Board members Margot Jerrard, Bill Golden, Bob McCandless and Michael Stevenson (chair) advocated for spending more money for a proper expansion. The mayor subsequently refused to reappoint all of them as their terms expired in June 2000, June 2001 and June 2002. In June 2003, he also refused to reappoint Jane Williams (appointed in 2000). Once she joined the board, she also advocated for proper funding for the project.
Discussion ensued for several months while the mayor refused to budge on his position that $3.5 million was the maximum the city would spend on the library expansion.
April 2000 (may have been May 2000 when agreement finally passed)
Library Foundation Board and Mayor agreed that if the Foundation raised $2 million, the city would commit $4.25 million for a total project cost of $6.85 million which would double the size of the library. Foundation Board members said they could not raise this amount of money without a specific plan telling donors exactly what they would get for their money. The agreement was for a 54,000 square foot library that would increase the size of the Archives by 100%, the Adult Department by 100% and the Children’s Department by 200%. City council and library board approved the agreement.
June 2000 – December 2001
Technical committee, architects and mayor worked on development of the project design.
Foundation members raised the $2 million, receiving designated gifts for the Archives, Children’s Department, the library store and other specific features of the plan.
September 2001
Council members Esther Patt and Danielle Chynoweth were told by a reliable source that the project was in trouble because of cost. Patt sent email to mayor and CAO Bruce Walden inquiring. Walden responded saying there was no problem and asking Patt to disclose her source, indicating the person should not have told council members anything. Patt refused to reveal her source.
January 28, 2002
One hour before the city council meeting, a Foundation Board member called Council Member Patt saying the expansion project had been downsized and that no disclosure of that fact had been made to the Library Board or Foundation Board one week earlier when they approved the plan.
At the council meeting, the mayor and library director presented a final plan for the expansion project. No one stated that the project had been downsized. Having been tipped off prior to the meeting Patt asked specifics about square footage and found out that:
- The addition was to bring the library size to 48,000 - 49,000 square feet (not 54,000)
- The library store was downsized to be a kiosk
- Square footage of the Archives would increase 35% instead of 100%
- Square footage of Adult Department would increase 60% instead of 100%
- Square footage of Children’s Department would increase 160% instead of 200%
Council member Patt made a motion to hold a joint meeting with the library board on February 12, 2002 to carefully examine what was lost in the plan with the reduced square footage.
Mayor Satterthwaite stated that nothing was lost, the space was just being used more efficiently. His exact words (from the tape of the city council meeting) were: "The question is not are we getting cheated out of square footage, it's are we getting the library services we anticipated with the new square footage, and the answer is clearly yes."
Actually, the answer was clearly no as revealed at the February 12, 2002 joint library/council meeting. Cutting close to 6,000 square feet from the building meant cutting space for 26,385 books, approximately 16,000 of which would have been children’s books.
Council members, Foundation board members and Library board members spoke in favor of spending the additional money to restore the 6,000 square feet that the mayor had unilaterally and secretly ordered cut from the project. (Jane Williams was one who spoke and she was not reappointed to the board the following year).
Mayor Satterthwaite spoke strongly against spending more money. He said the extra space was “just for books.” He said the city couldn’t afford it.
Council member Patt pointed out that in 1999, the city’s revenues exceeded the amount budgeted by $900,000 and in 2000, revenues were $400,000 above budget. She proposed the extra $800,000 needed be taken from this $1.3 million of unanticipated revenue. Council members Wyman, Chynoweth and Otto agreed. The next week, Hayes, Huth and Whelan joined in.
Conclusion
Replacement of the leaking roof, replacing heat controls and a sprinkler system had been add-ons and the Mayor had opposed spending the additional money for these features. Foundation board members asked council members to approve funding for these items.
The mayor opposed spending money to replace the roof. He insisted that it still had 3- 4 more years of life in it and money could be saved by further deferring this work. Patt pointed out that in 3 – 4 years roof replacement would cost more. Six council members voted yes for the roof.
The mayor also opposed spending $64,000 for the heat controls and sprinkler. Only 4 council members supported that so Satterthwaite announced he would veto the $64,000. On the night he was to deliver his veto message, the Foundation prevented the veto by agreeing to raise the additional money.
Sources
To verify these facts, check Greg Kline’s News-Gazette story from July, 1999, Chris Sundheim’s story from February 2000, Deana Poole’s stories from February 2002 and the tape of the January 28, 2002 meeting . |
This work licensed under a
Creative Commons license. |
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Re: Chronology of Events for the Library Expansion Project |
by paul mueth
paulmueth (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
22 Feb 2005
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Our anonymous coward, who asserts that "the mayor is fiscally responsible" doesn't comment on how now Satterthwaite is running on doubling the size of the library. .. not his miserly clandestine downsizing
apropos his appointment of Patt, al least he did some one thing other than cave in to business interests while he was mayor . . .. |
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Re: Chronology of Events for the Library Expansion Project |
by Tod Supporter
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
22 Feb 2005
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Already voted for Tod. Bye-bye Laurel. See you in next 4years when you run for another position. |
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Re: Chronology of Events for the Library Expansion Project |
by voter
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
22 Feb 2005
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if Tod was so against the library, who would he donate 5K of his own money for it? Riddle me this batman. |
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Re: Chronology of Events for the Library Expansion Project |
by anonymous coward
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
23 Feb 2005
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It is the "business" interests that help fund our schools and give us the other necessities that we need to live. |
