Challenges talked as commissioners, board members meet
“I just wanna be real with everyone here. I don’t want anyone leaving here under a false pretense or what have you,” Fannin County Post One Commissioner Earl Johnson said regarding the possibility of a new library within the Whitepath Fab Tech building.
“What I don’t want to do is spend a lot of money with you (Sutton Architectural Services, Inc.) designing a library, and in the end, we can’t afford it anyway.”
A special called meeting Thursday, January 23, brought together commissioners and library board members to discuss figures and options pertaining to converting the Whitepath building into a larger library and administrative offices.
Fannin County Public Library has been placed on a list with the Georgia legislature to receive $1,383,000 worth of funding for a new library, and in the original grant application, created by former Mountain Regional Library Director Vince Stone, it was noted that the county would provide the state $582,000 before the $1.3 million is to be released.
However, Mountain Regional System Interim Director Claudia Gibson said that it may not have to come directly from the county’s budget. She said, some cases have allowed private donors to contribute thousands, and in return the donors have received a dedicated room or a plaque.
Gibson explained the grant process by saying, “The state library has approved the grant to go on the list that will be presented to the legislatures. They have to vote on this which I assume will probably be before June, and once they vote on it, then the bonds will go up for sale in July, and usually, I think, I want to say it’s a couple of weeks, I don’t think it’s months after that before we know for sure that we have the state funding, so it won’t be probably until July 1 that the state funding is sure whether we get it or not.”
She went on to explain that state standards require .6 square feet per capita and projecting the population for 10 years in the future, a new library will need to be at least 19,880 square feet. She added that often it is required by the state to project up to 20 years.
To much dismay, possible estimates of square footage for the library were not available from the architect.
When asked about a cost estimate for the conversion and furnishing, fixtures and equipment (FF&E), Pete Sutton of Sutton Architectural Services, Inc. said he wouldn’t have numbers for around another four months.
However, in a “preliminary walk-through” last fall, an estimate of $5,089,800 was made for construction and repairs to the site and building costs. This number does not reflect costs for design, testing, permitting or FF&E nor possible environmental issues.
In a roll-call-esque hearing, Fannin County Commission Chairman Stan Helton asked library board members to express their feelings of the proposition. Strong concerns were voiced by library board Vice Chair Ron Bolin.
He asked whether the county could later take the library from them and what assurances they may have against such and demanded that the library meet all the states standards.
He emphasized, “Whatever our library, however it goes, whether we’re in this building or a stand alone, for me, it is critical that we meet state standards. Period.”
Bolin went on to ask whether the move would be temporary until the county receives a stand-alone library, but recalled, during a prior tour of the facility, being told by Helton that the move would be permanent He was also wary of where the remaining funds would come from.
Each of the other board members expressed that they were open to the possibility of the new library location, but would like more information on the process and the infrastructure.
The Mountain Regional Library Board must vote to go forward with the project, and Gibson said their next meeting is February 19.
Johnson said, “The numbers I’m hearing right now, is the library board members feels like the library needs to be 19,000 square feet. That’s $105 per square foot. I mean, I can go ahead and tell you right now it won’t happen for that. Just based on our previous experience with the fire station, it’s not as finished of a building as the library would be.”
He continued by saying everyone needs to sit down and figure out what exactly is required and what they have to work with so the county does not spend money designing a library and end up being unable to afford it.
Sutton said it is possible to go ahead and create a masterplan and only do what is feasible at this time. To which Gibson agreed may be a possibility.
In November 2016, a SPLOST vote approved a new county administrative building or parking deck and Helton said they currently have “$2 million remaining on Admin SPLOST.”
After the meeting, Johnson said this funding will be strictly for the work on the administrative offices.
Gibson said anyone in favor of a larger library should contact the state representatives by emailing, calling, mailing letters or postcards informing them as a means to sway them to awarding the grant.
Helton denied any public commentary during the meeting.