On March 2, 2016, many concerned citizens of Harrisville, North Ogden, and Pleasant View were invited to attend a joint city meeting regarding the renovation or relocation of the North Branch Library. Held at the Senior Center in North Ogden, there was not an empty seat in the building. County Commissioners, mayors from all three cities, and several council members were present as well as board members of the library system. It was a packed house. Mayor Mileski warmly welcomed all to the meeting.
Weber County Commissioner, Matt Bell, spoke first by saying, “We want to listen and we want to hear what your concerns are. I need you to know, as your commissioner, I will not raise taxes to do a project.”
Following his remarks, former North Ogden Councilman, Justin Fawson said, “I respect the support of our county commissioners and the commitment of the outcome. I believe we can find a long-term solution for a community library that meets the needs of our communities at a much lower cost and in a location that can accommodate future growth and parking needs.”
Mayors Mileski, Richins, and Taylor were all given opportunities to present material to the public about the many needs the North Branch is currently facing. Mayor Richins, of Harrisville, reminded those of us who didn’t already know, that the North Branch is the most visited library, per capita, and yet it is the smallest and most inadequate. He brought up 2 primary points—safety and patron satisfaction.
Residents from our area need to be given the same services associated with larger libraries built on larger sites.
Richins posed the question, “Why didn’t we raise concerns before the bond was voted on?” The response was, “None of the Library Board members during the bond process were from any of the principle cities serving the North Branch.”
Mayor Taylor, of North Ogden, then spoke saying, “We want to make sure that people can park in a parking lot and not along road shoulders. We don’t feel street parking is a safe solution for a building that is attracting a lot of people. There is a feasibility setting, identified, which is the new branch in Roy needed 250 parking stalls because it’s a 74,000 sq. ft. library—about 7 times the size of North Branch. We don’t need 250 parking spaces but we need a lot more than 33.”
Taylor also noted that, “There are possible uses of the skate park such as an expansion of the library and or parking in the ground underneath. We would like to relocate the skate park. Also, there is the possibility to remove the grass in front of the library to add a few additional stalls.”
In the end, Mayor Taylor asked this question to everyone in attendance, “Is it (the North Branch) an ideal location (where it sits currently) or is a new location going to make more sense in the long run?”
Lynnda Wangsgard, Director of Weber County Library Board, shared her presentation in an overview of how the bond came to be. “The Board brought in experts and architects to see if North Branch should be renovated or replaced. The report came back that it should be renovated. It’s a fantastic building.”
The Library Board talked with the people of Pleasant View, North Ogden, & Harrisville in their council meetings, book clubs and home gatherings about a proposal to renovate the North Branch and build a new South West Branch. 45 million dollars was proposed for the need with 5 million going to North Branch. Wangsgard says, “The architects felt it could be renovated into a fantastic facility for 5 million and that commissioners wanted to keep costs down so they didn’t ask for more.”
This bond is going to “modernize and double the space of the North Branch, Wangsgard tells us. “That’s what people voted on.”
Public comment was opened up at the end of the meeting. A resident who has been in Weber County since 2006 stated, “I appreciate living here and the efforts to improve the library. It is a refuge and our second home.”
A young man stood next with a plea for the skate park. “I go to the skate park nearly everyday after school. In this day and age when technology controls most of the young people’s lives it is rare to see young people enjoying fresh air instead of staying inside playing video games all day. Everyone who goes to the skate park supports local businesses. Taking away the skate park would force us away to other cities where we could not support the local business in our area.”
