STANWOOD – Supporters of a new library in Stanwood are not holding out much hope after Tuesday’s general election.
The renewed bid fell well below the required 60 percent supermajority, garnering a little more than 56 percent of the vote.
“We need 450 more yes votes out of the existing numbers,” said Mary Kelly, community relations manager for the Sno-Isle Regional Library System.
Even with some absentee votes remaining to be counted, Kelly was not optimistic about a reversal.
If voters reject the $9 million, 20,000-square-foot library, it could affect plans to build a new city hall. The library and the city had planned to build both buildings on a joint campus on 4 acres north of downtown. Now those plans are up in the air.
Stanwood City Council member Shelley Klasse said the council had been waiting for the election results before proceeding on the city hall project. Comments at public meetings earlier this year indicated that many people wanted the library and city hall to be built on a joint campus, she said.
“Part of the cost savings we were going for was that we could both put in the (sewer, water and utility) improvements working together,” Klasse said.
The council had not discussed what it would do if the library bond failed. Klasse said those discussions will begin later this month.
“We could go ahead and purchase our portion of the property, or purchase all the property,” she said. “I don’t think we have the money for either of those options.
“We could help the library figure out why it didn’t pass. We could get different options from the public,” Klasse said.
Depending on what people say, the library project could be scaled back or moved to a different location, she said.
“Another option would be for the city to purchase a different property just for ourselves and the police department,” Klasse said. “Another option is not to do anything.”
For the library’s part, the Sno-Isle board will ask voters why they turned it down, Kelly said.
“Were they worried about the cost?” Kelly said. “Were there questions about need? Did they think the location posed some problems? Did they not know enough about it?”
It will take some time to get answers, so the library board will probably not bring a new bond measure to voters at the next election date in February, Kelly said.
Once the board gets answers, it will have to also ask voters to re-form a taxing district they approved in September, because it is only valid for two bond votes.
Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com.
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