Many residents are saying they are not ready to replace the iconic downtown Renton library

At last week’s meeting of the Renton City Council, we had a spirited discussion about the proposal to build a replacement downtown library at the former Big 5 Sporting Good’s site next to the Piazza. This session was covered well by the Renton Reporter in this article here . Following last week’s meeting, Council has continued to receive significant email and citizen comment about the downtown library location. A few days ago we received a 43-page petition titled “Save our Library.” The hundreds of signatures on the petition were collected from library patrons during the past week. Email comments seem to be about five-to-one against moving the library.

As I said at last week’s council meeting (and discussed in a previous blog entry here ), I think we should be patient, and gather all the facts and input we can, in making the final decision about the downtown library location. I would be happier to see us first complete the proposed new Highlands library, building it to the proposed size of 15,000 square feet (increasing it from it’s current 6000 square feet.) Once it is completed and in operation, citizens could more easily evaluate whether the size would be sufficient for downtown (which is proposed for the same square footage.) Furthermore, having the Highlands library built to full size would minimize inconvenience to residents when the downtown library is worked on, regardless of whether it was moved or renovated.

Completing the highlands library first would also give us the time to complete another critical part of the plan– what to do with the building over the river if we move the library. The mayor and council have indicated that we intend to save and re-purpose this building, but the plan is not yet developed. Since there is no use defined, no one yet knows what the upgrades would cost to support any viable new use. We’ve been told that refurbishing this building to continue its long-term use as a library would cost close to ten million dollars. A reasonable assumption is that any other use would cost nearly as much, or perhaps even more, depending on how much activity was planned.

For example, the existing library is load limited in it’s central section where it spans the river (it can handle about 60 pounds per square foot), and this central section is therefore used for low-load purposes such as tables, chairs, and computer work stations. This use generates much less load than it would as a reception hall where hundreds of people could be dancing in rhythm. Ultimately, we ought to know the proposed use and the cost of retrofitting before we commit that we will re-purpose this building.

The consequences of failing to come up with an acceptable and affordable use could be severe. If the building gets labeled as abandoned, or falls into disrepair, there could be numerous agencies (Federal government, State Fisheries, Muckleshoot Tribes, etc) pushing Renton to demolish it. And demolishing it would not be cheap– many expensive permits would be required, salmon-migration dates observed, and contractors paid. We’ll have to keep the building maintained and in some type of use, with the heat and lights on, to prevent this fate. This could take us many years. I won’t feel comfortable promising citizens that we are keeping the building until this plan, including the funding, is worked out.

The above is the header page of a 43 page petition, with up to twelve signatures per page. The petition submitters have said that they are gathering more signatures daily.

I’ve included two examples of recent emails we have received below, one in favor of moving the library, and one against.

READ MORE »

The Renton City Council has received much correspondence and feedback after the announcement that the city was  purchasing the former “Big 5” site for a new library.

The topic of the downtown library location is a passionate one for many citizens, and the decision-process (which is still on-going) has been extra-confusing for citizens because some evaluation of particular sites has occurred in executive sessions (not open to the public), and because KCLS has an approval role in the selection process which is new to us.

It is important to have the public on-board such a major decision– citizens need to have ownership where we are spending so much money, and the public can help us make sure we have considered all facets of such a decision.

For this reason, Mayor Law has offered to set up a council discussion of the Library location in an upcoming Committee of the Whole Meeting, probably in early May– maybe May 2nd.  His administration also prepared a memo on Friday outlining the process used to identify the Big 5 site.

I have not made up my mind about whether relocating the downtown library is the right thing to do at this time, and other council members may not have either,  so this meeting should be a good one.

An email from the Mayor, and the Memo from the city staff are shown below.  I welcome your comments below.  (Please try to keep them focused on the pros and cons of the issue.)

______________________________________________
April 7, 2011

Randy,

Thanks for sharing your concerns yesterday regarding the library move downtown. I met with Alex, Terry H. and Jay this morning, and we are planning to prepare a comprehensive presentation for the council that addresses how we got where we are today; a presentation from KCLS describing their vision and direction in providing library services throughout the region; detail that defines challenges regarding the existing site; and details on feasibility studies that were conducted by consultants for both new library facilities.

We’re hoping to target COW on May 2^nd  for this presentation. I leave for Japan on Tuesday, but will let you know if anything else comes up this week. We will be discussing this recommendation with the council president.

Thanks.

Mayor, City of Renton

1055 S. Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057

425 430-6500

rentonwa.gov

_______________________________________________________________________________________

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY
& ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

M E M O R A N D U M

DATE: April 8, 2011

TO: Terri Briere, Council President
Members of the Renton City Council

VIA: Denis Law, Mayor

FROM: Alex Pietsch, Administrator (x6592)

SUBJECT: Downtown Library Relocation

This memorandum is to provide background regarding the decision-making process associated with the city’s plan to construct a new library at the former Big 5 Sporting Goods site at 508 South Third Street in downtown Renton.

Renton Library Master Plan
In 2008, the City Council adopted the Renton Library Master Plan. This study was produced by a consultant under the leadership of the Renton Library Board of Trustees with a significant public process that included analyses of facilities, interviews, surveys, focus groups, and public meetings. The plan outlines significant concerns with the city’s existing library facilities:

Both the downtown and Highlands library buildings are outdated and undersized. The current library facilities are 35 and 40 years old. Neither building has separate spaces for meetings, programs, or expanded technology, and there are few quiet areas for personal reading and studying. There is inadequate space for a collection of materials large enough to meet the basic needs of the community, or for accommodating various media formats and special collections. Finally, the infrastructure of the buildings, such as electrical and computer network wiring, is inadequate to accommodate needed technology. (Renton Public Library Master Plan Study 2008-2013, p. 9)

While the Master Plan notes that “the downtown library building, built on a bridge, is very appealing, is in the ‘heart of the community,’ and represents Renton” (RPL Master Plan, p. 18), it also found a strong community desire for significant upgrades including community rooms for programming, meeting, and studying; and expanded space for additional computers. Concerns about public safety were also noted (RPL Master Plan, p. 21).

The Master Plan recommended that Renton “make a long-term service and financial commitment to an independent municipal library” and, in doing so, make significant investments in expanded library facilities. (RPL Master Plan, p. 52)
In the ensuing months, the City Council and Administration had significant discussions about the city’s ability to live up to that recommendation. With impending budget cuts, it was determined that the city would barely be able to keep the Renton libraries open, let alone fund the significant capital improvements envisioned by the Master Plan. It was determined that Renton residents would be better served by joining the King County Library System (KCLS). On July 20, 2009, the City Council voted 6 to 1 to place the question of annexation to KCLS on the February 2010 ballot.

KCLS ILA
Prior to the decision to place the question of annexation to KCLS on the ballot, the Administration worked with KCLS to develop an interlocal agreement (ILA) that outlined how library services would be conducted if the voters supported annexation. This agreement, which was approved by the City Council on July 6, 2009, determined that two new libraries would be constructed:

In the event of a successful annexation election of the City into KCLS, KCLS and the City also agree to coordinate the development of this project with the development of the proposed replacement facilities for the Main and Highlands Libraries. In any such case, such coordination might enable KCLS to participate in the funding of the development of the replacement facilities for the Main and Highlands Libraries. (KCLS/Renton Interlocal Agreement, July 16, 2009, Sec. 6)

Recently constructed KCLS libraries throughout its service area have been constructed by a $172 million construction bond approved by voters in 2004. As it had its own library system, Renton property owners were not included in that bond measure. They had not been contributing property taxes to pay for these KCLS capital investments (and will not even after the successful annexation election). In order to establish equity throughout the library district, the ILA established that Renton should bear the cost of constructing the two new libraries if annexation was approved.

In February 2010, Renton voters narrowly supported annexation in to KCLS.

Site Analysis
In June 2010, the engineering firm Swenson Say Faget was engaged to conduct a structural analysis of the existing downtown library. This evaluation determined that the current structure, while safe for occupancy and considered likely to withstand an earthquake that “has a 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years”, does not meet current, more rigorous, seismic regulations. Upgrades to this higher standard would be triggered if the building were “substantially altered or occupancy was increased.” Whether required or not, the consultant recommended the following upgrades to the structure to “improve the seismic performance”:

• Strengthening the eight interior columns in the central reading room;
• Providing vertical separation between the concrete columns and any abutting masonry walls;
• Enhancing the attachment of the north exterior wall to the roof framing;
• Replacing or strengthening with wood or metal studs interior walls that are not within 12 feet of an intersecting wall capable of providing adequate lateral restraint; and
• Strengthening concrete floor joists to provide more uniform weight distribution throughout the building.

The Administration also hired Seattle-based architecture firm Mithun to conduct a site feasibility study to analyze alternative locations for the downtown and Highlands libraries. After an extensive real estate search was performed by commercial real estate firm Kidder Mathews, city and KCLS staff identified six sites in downtown Renton for further analysis by Mithun. These included the existing downtown library, the city’s Pavilion Building, Big 5/Roxy Theatre site, the former McLendon Hardware, 2nd and Main (Jet City Espresso), and the former Tires Plus site (S. 2nd and Logan). Mithun’s analysis took into account zoning regulations, site size, land costs and availability, location, ability to further city planning goals, ability to meet KCLS site selection policies, and overall project development costs (Renton Libraries Site Feasibility Studies, Mithun, November 30, 2010, p. 6).

The Mithun report (p. 5) outlined the following pros and cons for the existing downtown library site:

Pros: No land costs; site will accommodate dedicated patron parking; additional square feet already in place (ex. library is 22,000+ sf); community is familiar with the library in this location; minimal code upgrades required if building use is unchanged.
Cons: Remodel will be fairly extensive; library will not be in operation during construction; agency approval process will involve multiple entities and could be lengthy; site has poor visibility for those not already familiar with the existing building; existing site does not further the City goals for revitalization of the downtown core.

For the Big 5/Roxy Theater Site, the Mithun report (p. 5) considered a 15,000-square-foot library on the Big 5 property alone, as well as a 20,000-square-foot option if the adjacent Roxy Theater building was also purchased.

Pros: Big 5 site is available at reasonable cost; ample street parking adjacent to the site; close proximity to Transit Center and Parking Garage; high visibility; high vehicular and pedestrian traffic; furthers downtown revitalization goals.
Cons: Roxy site purchase price is high so the possibility of future expansion is in question; construction costs would need to include demolition of existing Big 5 structure (and Roxy Bldg. if expansion occurs at a later date); small lot size may limit building design.

Mithun, using a professional construction cost estimator, also produced “rough order of magnitude” cost estimates to construct buildings on each of the sites. These estimates were based on unit costs using current construction industry data.

KCLS has established 12 criteria by which it evaluates potential library sites: site capacity, visibility, access, site infrastructure, centrality, cost/value, availability, city preference/goals, catalyst for development, community preference/goals, potential partnerships, and potential for use of sustainable strategies. Mithun used these criteria to rate each of the six downtown sites and rank them based on their scores. As the following table illustrates, the Big 5 site ranked highest. It also ranked 3rd in both its estimated cost to build and estimated cost of land (it was the most affordable property that wasn’t already owned by the city).

(Mithun, p. 38-49)

The cost estimate for remodeling the existing downtown library includes the structural upgrades recommended by Swenson Say Faget. It is does not, however, factor the additional cost of improving and operating a temporary library during 18 to 24 months of construction.

KCLS Greater Renton Area Library Service Area Analysis
On November 1, 2010, KCLS staff presented the King County Library System Area Analysis to the City Council Committee of the Whole. KCLS conducted the study to “assess the best configuration of libraries in the area to meet community need while ensuring the equitable distribution of resources” (KCLS Greater Renton Area Library Service Area Analysis, September 28, 2010, p. 2).

Amongst its recommendations, the analysis (p. 15) stated the downtown Renton library should:
• Be a facility of up to 20,000-square feet with a civic presence in downtown Renton;
• Be oriented toward public transportation and transit;
• Correspond to the economic development goals of the City of Renton; and
• Provide information resources and increased space for computers, meeting rooms and other programmable spaces.

Executive Sessions
The City Council was briefed on the Mithun report in executive sessions on October 4 and November 15, 2010. At that time the Administration recommended that it be allowed to negotiate a purchase and sale agreement with the Big 5 Corporation to purchase the property.

Purchase and Sale Agreement Approval
The Administration entered into negotiations with Big 5 over the holidays and reached agreement to purchase the property for $525,000 ($50,000 less than the anticipated cost). The City Council approved and authorized the Mayor to sign the purchase and sale agreement on March 21, 2011. The Administration has executed the agreement and the transaction is scheduled to close June 13, 2011.

Interlocal Agreement
The Administration and KCLS have been negotiating the terms of a new ILA that outlines the roles and responsibilities of each party relating to the design, construction, and operation of each of the new libraries. This agreement will be brought forward for the City Council’s consideration in the coming weeks. The ILA will establish that the city will obtain the sites and fund the construction of both buildings. KCLS will fund the furniture, fixtures and equipment for each branch—a cost estimated at approximately $1.5 million per library. Once completed, KCLS will own and maintain the buildings. However, the city will retain ownership of the underlying land.

Latest Cost Estimates and Financing Plan
Property acquisition and construction of both the downtown and Highlands libraries is anticipated to be funded by issuing tax-free municipal bonds. The adopted 2011/2012 budget earmarks the $2 million per year that had been previously used to operate the Renton Public Library System to pay debt service on this bond issuance. On March 21, 2011, the City Council approved a resolution allowing for any current expenditures related to the library construction to be refunded by future bond proceeds. The Administration recommends using a combination of cash and bonds over a 12-year period to generate a combined $19.8 million for the projects. Due to anticipated interest rate increases, the Administration intends to ask the City Council in the coming weeks to consider issuing these bonds this May. It had been previously planned that bond issuance would take place in mid-year 2012.

Since the sites were selected, KCLS has been working to refine cost estimates for each branch based on its recent experience constructing libraries throughout the system, and the city has been analyzing potential financing strategies. As the chart below illustrates, given the financing parameters recommended by the Administration, there will be sufficient funds available to construct a 15,000-square-foot branch in downtown Renton and the new Highlands library with structured parking. It would require an additional two years of bonding in order to fund the Highlands library and a 20,000-square-foot downtown branch.

Reuse of the Existing Downtown Library Building
There is no question that the existing downtown library building is a unique, iconic structure that can and should be re-purposed for a new and exciting public use. The Administration and City Council have discussed several exciting potential new uses. Concepts have also emerged through the development of the recently adopted Arts & Culture Master Plan, as well as the City Center Community Plan and the Parks, Recreation & Open Space Plan that are currently underway. The building’s future use should be determined by the people who will use it. The Administration intends to begin a process this summer to engage the public more directly about the reuse of the building.

Conclusion
A new downtown library will provide patrons with a new, more efficient library with space for community meeting rooms, private study spaces, and enhanced technology services. The Big 5 site scored the highest among the six sites considered using KCLS’s adopted library site location criteria. It is in the heart of the downtown core, across the street from the Piazza, near the Transit Center, and in close proximity to both Renton High School and St. Anthony’s School. With 40 free parking stalls dedicated for library patrons along the Seattle Public Utilities right of way to the north, 137 on-street, free 2-hour parking stalls within one block of the site, and the 590 parking stalls available in the City Center Parking Garage (which also offers free parking for the first two hours), there is more than ample parking in the vicinity. Construction of a new library in this location will further the city’s economic development goals by establishing a new center of activity in the city’s historic downtown core. The existing library location will be re-purposed as a new and additional civic amenity in downtown Renton.

Attachments: KCLS/Renton Interlocal Agreement, July 16, 2009
Renton Libraries Site Feasibility Studies, Mithun, November 2010
Structural Evaluation Renton Public Library, Swenson Say Faget, August 2010

cc: Jay Covington
Marty Wine
Terry Higashiyama
Iwen Wang
Peter Renner