If the King County Library System’s preliminary analyses are correct, we have new and significant information to consider as we debate the future of our beloved branch at Ober Park.
According to library officials, the price tag for expanding the branch at Ober Park ($7.2 million) is higher than that of remodeling the former machine shop at K2 ($6.5 million). Erecting a new branch on the adjacent gravel parking lot weighs in at an even higher figure — $7.7 million.
What do we make of these numbers, coming as they do in the midst of a survey attempting to garner our preferred location for the branch?
First, it’s imperative that the library staff and board get the hardest numbers possible before they use these soft numbers to take the library a mile out of town. Many Islanders are troubled by the library system’s apparent march toward K2. Without hard numbers — discussed and dissected in a transparent, public process — many will wonder for years if the library system acted in good faith.
Second, the Ober Park price tag — where drainage issues, apparently, make construction costs higher — suggests the library system should broaden its scope and consider some of the other interesting sites that have recently come before the public. Vashon Village, if it could be done affordably, makes enormous sense.
And third, these numbers may ultimately mean the K2 site is, in fact, the most affordable. Like many on Vashon, The Beachcomber would like to see the library stay in the town core, building on our community’s vibrancy and the town’s walkability. But all along, what we’ve called for is an open and transparent process — one that builds confidence in the library system, not tears it apart, that strengthens our community, not frays its edges.
Right now, the community seems frayed by the tumultuous politics of the library’s future location — a sad thing in light of what a library represents in a society.
Ultimately, what matters most is that all of those involved in this process — from our public officials to our private developers — act in good faith, strive to balance the competing needs of the community and maintain a public, open process.
A library, much like our public schools, is a cornerstone of democracy, a radical notion, even, in this day and age when so much has been privatized. Let’s not lose sight of what our library represents as we search collectively for a solution that works. It’s imperative that the project come in within budget. It’s also imperative that the community not lose its integrity in a debilitating and heated fracas.
