A rare opportunity for the three local mayors, Brent Taylor from North Ogden City, Toby Mileski from Pleasant View City, and Bruce Richins from Harrisville City to meet together with their respective city councils, occurred in early March at the North Ogden Senior Center. Their mission was to discuss the proposed North Ogden Branch Library renovation/construction. Following the 2013 voter-approved bond of $45 million and the recent openings of the Roy and Ogden Valley branches, the focus in now on the North Branch. Weber County Commissioner Matthew Bell commented “the County would like to proceed with construction on the North Ogden branch soon… however, there have been some difficulties in finalizing plans … citizens and leaders have developed their own ideas and plans for the facility.”
Utah House of Representatives Justin Fawson,a former North Ogden City Council member, likened the current North Branch debate to the one experienced just a few short years ago with building the now completed North Ogden Public Works Facility after North Ogden citizens “pulled together… recruited qualified members… slowed the project down.. took a collaborative approach to overcome obstacles… that was paid for in cash, and for less than half the original estimated costs.” The original projected costs were from an expensive professional study that the then City Council was attempting to sneak through without citizen input. The citizens revolted and ejected the mayor and City Council from office en masse. He asked that the Library Board not “close themselves off… and the residents are smart.” He believes that the “proposed library remodel does not meet the long-term needs of North Ogden, Pleasant View or Harrisville residents.”
Pleasant View Mayor Toby Mileski referred to the provided power point presentation and stressed, “The whole reason for the concerns we have raised is to try and get more… services for our citizens.” He reminded everyone that, “Disagreement is part of democracy - and our disagreement is on policy, not personal.” He added that, “We don’t see ourselves as opposing sides, but as different approaches to the same ultimate goal.”
Harrisville Mayor Bruce Richins emphasized, “None of the Library Board members during the bond process were from any of the principal cities served by our (North) branch.” As such, he believes the Library Board “are dedicated people who have the best interests of the County in mind… but someone from the area who knew this library and community would have raised valid ideas and questions that would have benefited the bond plan.” He quoted statistics from the Library Board communications that indicated “the North Branch is the busiest library per capita and ranked as the most frequently visited in the library system… also the smallest and most antiquated library in the system.” He summarized by saying, “The mayors are simply asking that the North Branch library… have a plan of similar size and scope to other facilities in the County.”
North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor addressed the parking issue that the current plan fails to address adequately. Currently the North Branch has 33 stalls and projected to have 35 when the remodel is completed. “The new branch in Roy has 250 parking stalls which is 7 times … included in the plan for the North Branch.” He feels, “It is a genuine safety issue.” Mayor Taylor stated North Ogden is offering an alternate site and is “prepared to donate the (old) existing Public Works site (approx 3 acres)…and purchase 1.5 acres… to provide approx 4 acres for the project… far larger than the current site… to accommodate a 40,000 sq. ft. community center type of library and upwards of 200 parking stalls.” He reviewed a “joint statement signed by all three mayors and all 15 seated Council members in 2015 supporting the proposal to relocate the project to the alternate site… shows a sign of unity and support for an important issue.” In addition to proposing the alternate site, he proposed another solution for North Ogden to “donate skate park land… expand (existing) library… with ground floor parking… share cost to expand Senior Center parking lot.” He concluded by expression his appreciation for the huge crowd in attendance and observed that from his US Army deployments in “Iraq and Afghanistan where meetings like this are not allowed… and is grateful for our nation’s form of government that allows these types of civil meetings.”
In response to the tri-city mayors’ presentations, Library Director Lynnda Wangsgard expressed she is “confused and what actually happened, is not what has been expressed this evening.” The feasibility study they relied on was conclusive that not only the main library “should be saved… as a tremendous building… the North Branch… is a fantastic building and should be renovated.” She added “After a series of grueling public hearings… $5 million was to be dedicated to the North Branch… the architects and engineers put together a budget… to renovate it… into a fantastic building.” The Library Board visited each city and “any entity or club that would entertain a presentation about the library bond.” She summarized the Board’s conundrum as to “stop progress on the plan for the North Branch… or spend the $5 million they have available now to expand… into something fantastic, modern…. or spend the money at another site and build a similar-sized building… with more parking spaces.” She hoped to “set the record straight” but did not indicate any resolution to the Board’s conundrum.
