Commentary: Lake Stevens residents have asked for new, larger library

By Jonalyn Woolf-Ivory

Lake Stevens residents have for years asked Sno-Isle Libraries for the opportunity to vote on a new, larger library. Now the opportunity is here. Lake Stevens-area voters will see two library measures on the Feb. 14 ballot.

Proposition 1 asks voters if a special library taxing district, called the Lake Stevens Library Capital Facility Area, should be formed. Proposition 2 asks whether funds should be raised within the library capital facility area to finance a new library with up to $17 million in bonds.

Residents repeatedly tell us that the cozy 2,400-square-foot library building on Main Street is too small. They say a new building should replace the one in which toddlers and preschoolers have crowded into for reading programs for more than 30 years.

Over the past four years, comments increased as local participants in community surveys, focus groups and open houses weighed in. Common themes include, “there is too little room for children’s activities in this small library,” “there’s no space for students, teens or adult library events,” “no multi-purpose room for community use,” and “this library is inadequate for today’s larger and more vibrant city.”

Some have pointed out that the entire population of Lake Stevens in 1980 was smaller than the 1,700 young people who now attend Lake Stevens High School. That growth is reflected in an even busier library. More than 30,000 persons currently live in Lake Stevens and more than 8 out of 10 have a library card. In fact, toddlers, preschoolers, students and adults stepped through the doors of the Lake Stevens Library more than 100,000 times last year.

Renewed calls for a new library since 2014 led us to look again at potential library sites. Our search finally led us to appraise and purchase property close to the fire station near the corner of 99th Avenue NE and Market Place. We worked with the owner who accepted a full price offer. Once we knew the final cost of the property, we worked with a nationally recognized firm to develop a proposed project budget. The result of this work are two Lake Stevens Library measures on the Feb. 14 ballot.

Both ballot measures must pass before work on a new library can begin. A simple majority of voters is required to pass Proposition 1. The bond measure requires a 60 percent supermajority.

If voters approve both library measures, property owners within the area would see a new item on their property-tax statement in 2018 totaling 24.5 cents for each $1,000 of assessed value. That would amount to approximately $87 a year for a $350,000 house.

Voter approval would result in a library building nine times larger than the current 2,400 square foot facility. The total project budget of up to $17 million must cover all project costs associated with building and opening a new library, including land purchase, construction, architectural design and other consultant fees, permits, equipment, shelving units and furnishings, library books and other materials, as well as taxes. These funds can only be used to build and open a new library and cannot be used for any other purpose.

Residents have said that a new, larger library should address a diverse set of current and future needs, including multi-purpose spaces for library events and classes for children, teens, seniors and community meetings. More space can result in a significantly larger on-site collection of books, audiobooks and computer technology to support individual research and small business needs, as well as distance-learning at the library. Residents also want more space to study alone or work on projects together.

More information about these ballot measures and the Lake Stevens Library capital facility recommendations is available at www.sno-isle.org/lake-stevens.

A larger library is a community decision. Please remember to indicate your decision on both library measures and return your ballot by Feb. 14.

Jonalyn Woolf-Ivory is the executive director for Sno-Isle Libraries.