The Haines Borough Public Library. (Emily Files)
For years, the Haines Borough Public Library has been working towards an expansion of its building. According to staff and the library’s board, there is a notable lack of space for meetings and activities.
Now the Haines Borough is asking the architecture firm in charge of the expansion to accommodate space for assembly chambers in the design.
The idea to incorporate new assembly chambers into the library expansion first came from public facilities director Brad Ryan. He has been discussing the idea with the library board, the Friends of the Library and the Government Affairs and Services Committee.
The library expansion project was first proposed back in 2014. The addition would expand the library in two directions. The north end would expand into the existing parking lot to make more room for library staff to work. A new multipurpose area would be added to the south end of the building for meetings and other activities. That’s where the assembly chambers could be built.
Library director Carolyn Goolsby said she believes the library would be the perfect spot for assembly meetings.
“Haines is famous for having an engaged populous that shares its opinions readily,” Goolsby said. “What better place to do that than in the hub of the community that brings all these disciplines, all these arts together?”
However, not everyone agreed with Goolsby.
Before discussing the library expansion, the assembly voted to apply for a grant to make the public safety building accessible according to Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Assembly members Stephanie Scott and Brenda Josephson felt that moving chambers to the library is an unnecessary cost if the borough is already planning to upgrade the public safety building.
The estimated cost of building chambers into the library expansion is $400,000.
Morphet made a motion to postpone the decision to contract MRV Architecture to create a design for the new chambers. He thought the public was not given adequate opportunities to weigh in on the proposal.
“I don’t know if the public, who pays the rent around here, really wants to spend $400,000 on new assembly chambers,” Morphet said. “I would like new assembly chambers, and maybe the public who has to come and sit here would say, ‘Sure, $400,000. That’s great. Let’s get the heck out of that cramped little shoebox.’ But I won’t be voting for this because I do think it commits us to putting the assembly chambers over there without really hearing from the voters on it.”
The motion to postpone the decision failed. Ultimately, the assembly voted to contract MRV Architecture to make a design for new assembly chambers in the library at a cost of no more than $30,000.
The public has the opportunity to provide input on the proposal to include assembly chambers in the library expansion at the assembly meetings on November 6th and December 12th.
