VALDOSTA — Impending deadlines threatened the possibility of the main library branch moving next to the new Five Points Auditorium, but cooler heads prevailed in the nick of time to keep everything on schedule.

On Tuesday this week, about 20 members of the Five Points Steering Committee, city and county officials met with the South Georgia Regional Library Board to stress the need for the City of Valdosta to delineate specific acreage to the library in order for the project to move forward. A letter sent by the city to the board on Tuesday morning stated that the city could not meet the deadline of June 1 as requested by the board, but by the early afternoon meeting, those concerns had been addressed and the city agreed to put its offer to donate a portion of the land at Five Points to the library on paper.

The City has agreed to gift the library board with approximately 3.7 acres for the project, and although it’s half the acreage the library requested, the board and the county agreed that the property offer is fair and a good site for the future main branch to be located.

The deadline drew so close that members of the library board were in discussions with Lowndes County for a new location.

“If sufficient space had not been provided by the Five Points Committee and the city, the library would have been forced to consider alternate locations,” said County Manager Joe Pritchard. “The only location that came to mind initially was the property next to the county’s

Judicial Complex.”

County attorney Walter Elliott made it clear at the meeting on Tuesday that in order for the library board to apply for state funds, the library’s portion of the property had to legally be deeded to either the board or the county.

Also, in order for the architectural and design

elements to move forward for the site, a request for proposals has to be issued in early June.

The library is required to have a final cost estimate for the project by Aug. 8, which is 90 days before the Nov. 6 election, in order for the project to be included on the next SPLOST. Under Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax statutory requirements, each project on SPLOST must be identified and estimates must be specific and accurate.

These basic concepts have been the discussion of much private communication over the last couple of months, as library board members tried to raise awareness of the imminent deadlines among city officials and Five Points committee members.

South Georgia Regional Library Director Kelly Lenz said the new library is being designed to be functional for the next 30 to 50 years. The current facility on Woodrow Wilson Drive is 50 years old and the Carnegie Library building that now houses the historical society on West Hill Avenue served as the first community library for 50 years as well.

Another concern with the City included parking, since library board members had asked for 500 spaces at a meeting in May. The City’s Land Development Regulations allow 124 parking spaces for the library of 62,000 square feet or two spaces per 1,000 square feet. City leaders said they were allowed to exceed that amount up to 155 spaces in conjunction with a shared parking arrangement for the remainder of the planned 800 spaces.

Early estimates based on similar library projects in Georgia put the cost close to $20 million, paid in part by a $2 million state grant and the sale of the current location on Woodrow Wilson Drive, which is valued at approximately $2.5 million.

The current facility is landlocked as a result of South Georgia Medical Center’s expansion and is unable to improve facilities or add parking spaces for patrons. SGMC has expressed interest in the purchase of the land as well as the purchase of Mathis Auditorium from the city.

The remainder of the funds for the project will include a projected $14 million from SPLOST, with other donations from benefactors providing the remainder.

Although the city will provide the bulk of the infrastructure, to include roads, water and sewer, the county as the funding agency for the library also had to agree to pay a portion of those costs.

State regulations require that the new library be a minimum of 64,000 square-feet, twice the size of the current main branch, and the cost estimates include all materials as well. The current library does not meet state standards for size or for the number of books required per citizen.

The new branch will be built with at least 150 computers, with the possibility of more added later. The current main branch has about 80 computers, which are filled up with patrons from open to close, said Lenz. As information continues to move into the digital realm and access to the Internet becomes more vital, Lenz said computer access is in high demand, and staff assists patrons with everything from signing up for Social Security benefits to filling out job applications.

The Five Points Steering Committee has continuously promoted the synergy between the planned new municipal auditorium and library. Architects from IPG hired by the city to do the site plan and design discussed the current rendering of the site and how traffic could flow from one building to another, how parking could be shared and how the architecture of both buildings should cooperate to create a centerpiece for the community.

Other possible additions at the new library could include a coffee shop, community garden, teen and children’s rooms, additional meeting spaces and self checkout kiosks for materials.

“Libraries revitalize the surrounding areas and economic development is increased because of a more educated citizenry, which would translate into a higher paid workforce,” said Lenz, at a Five Points meeting last year.

“You can’t judge a book by it’s cover, but you can judge a community by its library and our citizens deserve a great library as ours is bursting at the seams.”

The next Five Points Steering Committee meeting will be held at the City Hall Annex multi-purpose room and is scheduled for June 21 at 10 a.m. The public is invited to attend.

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