Jim Mork wrote: > I think we need a FUNCTIONAL library and we need > to build it on a BUDGET. If only to convince the > library board they can LIVE on a budget! And to > dabble in "naming rights" simply because they > couldn't make do with $110 of taxpayer funds is > just indulgent.
I need to clarify a few things here. First off, the library project is not over budget. In fact, in every phase so far, we have been under budget. The architect? Under budget. The interim move? Almost $2 M under budget. When the referendum funding amount was being figured out, the project assumed three major revenue sources: $110 M from the referendum, $15 M in private donations, and $10 M from TIF funds from the north block (this is the empty block one block closer to the river on Hennepin). There was always a plan to do public fundraising for the project and that hasn't changed. It was the total of these three sources that were projected to be needed to do the project. Three funding sources were contemplated instead of just one to keep the amount asked for from taxpayers as low as possible. Since this time, the major thing that has happened is not that the project is over budget. The major thing happening is that the city has taken several actions to adversely impact the project budget: 1) The City decided to take the revenues from north block away from the project. With the TIF law changes, the amount that could be derived from the block went down from $10 M to $7 M. The City decided that it was going to take the block from the deal and in doing so, took the money that went with it. The TIF money was restricted to non-building costs like skyways and landscaping. In response, the project now assumes that the full cost of any skyways will be borne by other sources not yet identified (as there are not yet any buildings ready to attach to the library anyway). In addition, the project also assumes the bare minimum of landscaping and other streetscape amenities. 2) The biggest complaint with the existing facility is the lack of parking. The original plan assumed an 850 car garage on the north block to provide parking both for library patrons and for other needs in the area. Although there are surface lots in the area, projections are that in the next 5 - 10 years that these lots will be built up with office towers, creating a substantial demand for parking in that area. The City subsequently decided to remove that also from the plan, forcing the library project to build expensive parking under the building, parking which will cost the project an unbudgeted $2 M. 3) The City voted a couple of weeks ago to require the project to lower the building by one foot six inches. This one and a half feet will cost the project $250,000 in design fees and may in fact throw off the whole project schedule, costing millions. There is a Library Implementation Committee meeting next week to discuss the costs and impacts of this on the project. 4) The City is planning to charge the project almost $900,000 in fees, essentially taking money from one pocket of the taxpayers to the other pocket. 5) There are discussions on the part of the City about requiring the project to have roof-top gardens, geo-thermal heating, an enhanced streetscape, and other requirements which are not in the project budget. Any of these could negatively impact the project budget. The last library had the problem that there were so many people with so many other agendas beyond building a great library involved with the project. And the result was so many design compromises that we ended up with a crappy building that we are now having to replace. We need to get people focused back on building a great library and stop loading up the project with so many other agendas beyond building a great library. Carol Becker Longfellow _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
