Library update

I stopped into the new library location this morning after being a couple doors away for a haircut at Roland Barber Shop. Some guys were working in the back, taking out the overhead garage doors, and making a walk-in door. Trent Stille is working on that for an Eagle Scout project.

I snapped a couple pics with my cell phone, and they are posted above. If you haven't been in there lately, progress is being made. The entryway has changed a little, and you will see the studs/walls for the director office and video holding room near the front door. The walls are up for the two new bathrooms in the back. Drywall installation is on hold while waiting for the inspector to come, and approve the electrical work.

The library board has met with Storey Kenworthy for supplying the interior furnishings. New bookshelves, circulation desk, and computer tables will all be able to be moved and reused in a future permanent library should that come to pass.

I am well aware that opinions in Roland on this project range from "love it", to "hate it". I've talked to a lot of people on this topic. Here is where I am at with this, and offer the following.

1. The current library is inadequate. It is crowded, not great for handicap accessibility, and limited for any growth opportunity.

2. The new facility is not perfect. There are still some limitations on room for growth of programs and collections.

3. The new facility will be a substantial improvement from where we are at now. There will be more space for employees, there will be more "moving around" space, there will be more "sitting room" space, there will be improved restrooms, there will be handicapped accessibility, and the facility has a layout that will allow library staff to see more of the library at a given moment.

4. The new facility is not the end. The library foundation has taken ownership of the former Heart of Iowa Co-Op building on North Main Street. There is lots of land, it has a great location for a bigger and better library for Roland.

What would I like to see? I would love to see our City Hall in the building that is currently being converted into the library. Our current City Hall is not necessarily inviting to someone coming into town, or even for our existing residents. It is not on Main Street, it shares space with the water plant, which leaves a high humidity in the office, and often leaves a funky smell because of the water treatment.

If we have a city council meeting with more than about 8 guests, it becomes overly crowded, and is not inviting for public discourse. I realize it has made do for the past 70 years, but I think we could do a little better.

So with the fixups of 221 N Main, it is a relatively inexpensive way, to get a substantial improvement in our library. Then hopefully later, if the library were to go to the Co-op property, the building is pretty much good to go to serve as a city hall, with room for offices for our three department heads, as well as an appropriate city council chambers.

Now, that is just my opinion, and such things would have to be approved by the Library Foundation (who owns the Co-op property), the library board, and the city council for this building's conversion to a city hall. But that is what I would like to see happen.

So, with all that said, I ask this. Find out how you can volunteer to help in the move to the new facility. If you can't, at least peek in the window to see the progress that is being made.

AND MOST OF ALL, this is what I ask. Maybe you are a person that was not in favor of this move. Maybe you think it was a waste of money. Maybe you think this facility is still inadequate. I have heard you, and I hear you.

But, the fact is, the move is happening, probably in the April/May time frame. The decision has been made. So I ask, give it a chance. There are many people giving a bunch of their time to make for a better library for our community. Many of them put a lot of time into the physical work of our community center, and it is a nice looking facility.

If you don't want to volunteer for this, that's ok. But with the decision being made, let the folks that are, do their best. Let's see how it turns out. Let's move the library, let's see what works, and what doesn't work. Continuing to growl about this in the construction phase serves no useful purpose for Roland. Don't make this facility's failure a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If, after the move, there is still an interest in construction a final facility on the Co-op property, away we go. Nobody is talking about 9000 square foot libraries any more. The added cost of a community center tied to the library is no longer being talked about. If you've had issues with that in the past, let that go.

We can continue to do good things in this town. If decisions are being made, by all means, speak up. Once a decision is made, give it a chance, and once implemented, come with ideas for improvement.

I know the library is one of the leading topics of chatter in the town. This blog has an option to comment below. Feel free to do so, and in fact, I encourage it.