Citizens’ Capital Budget Advisory Committee
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Meeting Summary
Members Present:Jaye Alexander, Rhonda Lennon, William Rakatansky, Barney Stewart, III
Members Absent: Tom Fitch, Christopher Gegg, Health Gilbert, Mark Leggett, Tim Morgan, Michael Murdock
Staff Present: Trevor Minor
Staff Absent: Hyong Yi, HarryWeatherly, Sarah Heasley,Wanda Reeves
Other Attendees: Mark Hahn, Chuck Mallas, Gustavo Mibelli, Charles Brown, Susan
I.Welcome
The Citizens’ Capital Budget Advisory Committee meeting was called to order byMs. Rhonda Lennon, presiding in the absence of Chairman Michael Murdock.
II.Library Presentation
Mr. Charles Brown, Director of the Public Library,gave a brief presentation on the Library’s preliminary capital budget requests. Mr. Brown discussed thefive projects that he considered to be top priority and would be completed by FY 2010. They are:
- Hickory Grove Community Librarywhich has outgrown its current space and will be relocated to HickoryGroveElementary School’s current location. (Site will be available for construction August – September 2007.) Annual operating cost - $500,000.
- Scalybark Library has outgrown its current space and will be relocated to the south bound transit line and will have 16,500 square feet. Annual operating cost - $482,000.
- Carmel Branchwill be relocated to Sharon Rd west along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway and will have 19,000 square feet. Annual operating cost - $400,000.
- Highland Creek is a brand new library and will be built on land owned by CharlotteMecklenburg Schools(CMS); and will serve the high growth area in Huntersville. Annual operating cost - $960,000.
- Ballantyneis anotherbrand new library which will be built on land owned by MecklenburgCounty and will be housed with the YMCA, a park and CMS and will have 17,000 square feet. Annual operating cost - $960,000.
Mr. Brown also stated that there are three future projects to be built; two are in the Southwest area and one is northwest of I-77. These facilitieswill be built beyond FY 2010.
- The Southwest and Northwest Community Libraries will both have 16,500 square feet and will meet the needs of a high growth area. Both will have annual operating cost of $860,000.
III.Questions & Answers:
Mr. Brown and the library staff answered the following questions:
- Why does Sharon Road’s planning and design cost more?
Sharon Road is more than a library, it’s a combined stop for pedestrians, it has a buyer diversity lab, outdoor bathroom, etc. The design is also a little more involved.
- Why is the operating cost more for Ballantyne and Highland Creek library branches?
Operating cost is more because Ballantyne and Highland Creek are brand new branches while Scaleybark, Sharon Road and Hickory Grove are existing libraries and already have collections and operating costs.
- Do we have any projections that show why we need additional libraries in terms of usage projection?
Growth in the area is the main driver.
- What percentage of the budget is attributed to hiring multilingual staff and purchasing multilingual books, etc.?
There has not been a formal study done, but the library is trying to increase the language capability of our staff. Most distributors are purchasing multilingual materials. The Hickory Grove and Scaleybark Library has the greatest need for multilingual staff and materials.
- Wire Fire is used to make certain telecommunication systems more user friendly. Is there enough money allocated in telecommunications forWire Fire?
Wire Fire will be in all new library locations next year.
- What is Self Sufficiency Phase II?
Self Sufficiency Phase II is Radio Frequency I.D. tags - a small chip added to every circulated item that would make it easier to check out materials.
The Library also requested $1 million dollars for a comprehensive interior and exterior signage and shelving program. Signage would make the libraries easy to identify. The $1 million for this program would include hiring a marketing firm, fabrication of signs and the insulation of signs.
Also, there was a brief discussion on replacing the roof and HVAC atthe Morrison Branch. The cost to replace both the HVAC and the roof simultaneously is approximately $850,000.
Mark Hahn suggested that before renovations are made to the Main Library that the County hire a consultant to look at optionsand advise the County as how to put together a program associated with costs.
Real Estate Services will meetnext week to discuss their requests.
The meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will be held on May 17, 2006 in the 11th Floor Large Conference Room at 8:00 a.m.