Last Call for the Library

Early voting for the Keller and Tarrant County elections ends today at 7:00 p.m.  Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for Saturday to cast your ballot.

I went yesterday and there were people camped out just beyond the no-campaigning DMZ line.  The “Vote YES Committee” had staked out the right side and the “No Meant No” folks were on the left.  Later in the day, while walking the dog, I went by there and ran into Jim Carson and also met Monty Snow in person for the first time.

Ultimately, after considering all the issues, I decided to vote against the library proposal.  I did so because of the following concerns:

  • I was not convinced that we were hearing the whole story on financing.

    Interest-only payments are a red flag to me that indicates that we really can’t afford the library.

  • I think the library proposal was a case of “wrong time, wrong priority.”

    Let’s get the critical infrastructure items (firestation, roads, etc) funded before we start considering anything else.  I get the impression that the proposal was put forward ahead of those items so a tax increase could be sold as being for critical items, instead of for the library.

  • I am not convinced that all the options were considered.

    So far I’ve only heard two options:  Expand the existing one -or- Town Center.  Why weren’t other sites considered?

  • Parking logistics.

    Parking at Town Center already sucks.  And it is my considered opinion that whoever designed the traffic circle should be dragged off and shot.  Adding library patrons to the mix won’t help things.  Oh?  And nose-in spots on Bear Creek Raceway?  Does the designer who proposed this have stock in Service King?  And how long will it be until some speeding a**hole kills someone trying to cross Bear Creek to get to the library from Town Center?

  • I’m not convinced that the library design is properly optimized.

    The L-shape would appear to increase the overall perimeter footprint without buying internal volume.  Also, the choice of a two-story building adds cost for stairs and elevators.  It is my understanding that library experts recommend that a library should not be multi-story until it passes 50,000-sq.ft. in area.

I’m not unalterably opposed to a new library.  I like libraries and I absorbed countless books from my local library when I was growing up.  But I will not allow that to override logic for a bad proposal.  Let’s get our priorities straight, get the necessary infrastructure items in place, and then we can consider all the options for a new library.

2 Comments

  1. Jim Carson says:

    Thanks for your reasoning, Aubrey.  The library vote will be somewhere between a squeaker in favor and a landslide against.  I wish we had more opinion leaders like Jim M. and Monty and you.

    Scratch the ears of your Boots for me.

    Jim

  2. Dan Szepesi says:

    >>
    Let’s get the critical infrastructure items (firestation, roads, etc) funded before we start considering anything else.
    >>

    Preach!!  I am part of the problem in the greater Keller area – I bought one of those new homes that are sprouting up everywhere.  There is a LOT of work that needs to be done all over Keller on improving roads, adding traffic lights, etc.  Getting from my neck of the woods into Keller is nightmare unless its 2am – 377 necks down through Roanoke, then expands again before tightening back up in time for the increased traffic flow spewing in and out of Woodland springs.

    With an existing library in place, I think the focus should be on getting Keller ready to deal with the immense strain that we (keller noobs) are putting on it.