After a closed-door session at the end of its agenda on Feb. 14, the Belleville Area District Library Board voted unanimously to ask the Belleville City Council to donate the present library site and the municipal parking lot across Fourth Street to the library for potential use as a library site in downtown Belleville.
Library attorney John Day, who also is attorney for the City of Belleville, attended the closed session, but then left the board members on their own to phrase the request to the city in open session.
Day said there was a conflict of interest for him, so he left the meeting.
Attorney George Chedraue, attending as a member of the audience, offered guidance to the board members in the wording of the letter.
(Later the request was put on the Feb. 21 agenda of the City Council.)
But, as the board appeared to be considering a downtown site, board members pushed forward on their favored site, the Department of Natural Resources property north of the Belleville Bridge.
Earlier in the meeting, the board voted unanimously to hire an appraiser for the DNR property at a cost not to exceed $4,000 and let Day decide which appraiser to hire with input from Board Chairwoman Mary Jane Dawson.
Day explained that negotiations and discussions on the property are continuing with the DNR. Now, the DNR is requiring an appraisal on the property that must meet its appraisal standards.
Day said the DNR provided a short list of appraisers who are familiar with the standards and he contacted all five and received proposals from four, ranging from $2,520 for the DNR property alone and $1,800 for the house next door, to $4,800 for the DNR property alone.
Day said, “What we’re trying to do is get the DNR property removed from a DNR [Recreational] Trust” designation in order to be used for the library site.
He added that there could be a joint development of the property and whether the DNR buys it or the library buys it, an appraisal is needed.
Barbara Rogalle Miller asked from the audience if there would be any easements on the DNR property for fishing and if the library is looking at getting the house property for a swap with the DNR.
Day said the swap was a possibility.
“The house might be part of the negotiations and might be used as part of consideration for removing from the trust,” Day said. “Or, could be used for parking. We haven’t received the details for development or how titles are going to be held because we first have to get it out of the trust.
“The reason the house is an issue is, if we were to use the house for consideration of a swapped property, it is what the DNR trust would accept as fair market value for their appraisal standards for the house property.
“The appraisal we have now [for the house] is for real estate purposes, but I’m not sure that is going to meet the State’s requirement. The trust might want that reappraised,” Day said.
Members of the audience asked about the appraisals the library paid for on other properties and Day replied that the appraisals will be make public after the site decision is made.
Board treasurer Elaine Gutierrez pointed out that usually an appraisal for residential property will last for six months. She had concerns about making an expenditure when the board doesn’t have the time to make a decision.
“If we don’t do it this year, are we going to need a new appraisal?” she asked.
“We are in a unique position that we won’t have any money until we get a millage,” Day replied. “We can’t go ask for a millage until we know where we’re going to build and how much it’s going to cost when we get there.
“How do we go and say, ‘I might want to buy your property someday in a year from now and you have to agree to this price and maybe in a year I’m going to tell you I’m not going to buy it.’”
Day said everyone on the state level loves the idea of a library on the DNR site, but it’s never been done before and an appraisal has to be done before they start the process.
Day said it could be 10 months before the state makes a decision. The appraisal is estimated to take from 30 to 45 days.
Miller pointed out there is now open discussion on the DNR property, so, “Why didn’t we have open discussion on the Davenport property? Why were we excluded from the Davenport property discussion?”
She referred to the proposal by Davenport Brothers to use their Amerman Lumber Yard site for the new library, but the presentation and discussion was held in closed-door session.
“I think they wanted it closed,” said Board member Michael Boelter, with Board member John Juriga adding the size and shape wasn’t right.
Library Director Deb Green said, “Everything is taking longer than we thought,” as the board launched into a discussion on the Timing for the Ballot Proposal.
Vice Chairman Christina Brasil said the board learned how to do ballot proposals at a training session and she checked with the Van Buren Township Clerk’s office, who reported there is expected be a two-sided ballot in November, with the state putting on 10 to 12 proposals of its own.
Boelter noted the year is almost into March and he didn’t think the board would be ready by the August deadline for the November election. He proposed putting off the decision until April and after more discussion the board voted unanimously to table the timing for the ballot proposal until the April meeting.
Board member Joe Monte said the bond proposal could be put on the February 2013 election.
“I wish we could have it together for August,” Green said.
“It’s beyond our control,” said Brasil. “I would hate to make a foolish decision.”
After the vote to postpone the decision, Gutierrez said, “I’m a little less stressed knowing we don’t have to get ready for the November ballot.”
In other business at the Feb. 14 meeting, the board:
• Heard Kevin Robinson discuss the size of the proposed library, urging them to build a reasonable size that the taxpayers will support. He said, “Our tax base is dwindling, foreclosures are increasing and people are leaving.” He said he is convinced with the direction the area is heading, they’ll have the same library and by the time his kids are of age, they won’t even need a library anymore and this library will still be in the same building in the same location at the same size;
• Heard an unidentified man say he thinks the library board “is doing a hell of a job” and if the community is going to sabotage the whole thing by asking about location, “We’re never going to have anything, anyway.” He said the economy is not going to stay this way and you have to look to the future. “I don’t live in Canton, but I’d like to see something like Canton [library],” he said;
• Heard CPA Ron Trakos report on the district library finances, noting by the end of March the municipalities will be able to tell them how much tax revenue to expect;
• Heard Mike Renaud ask if the costs associated with a new building are in a separate account. Traskos said not yet, but he hopes to have a resolution at the next board meeting to account for the architectural fees, legal fees, planning fees to have a side accounting in the budget that will keep a tab going and when they do the bond issue they will roll in those fees. Renaud asked if they knew the costs to date and Traskos said he would have a figure at the next meeting;
• Heard Green say a 2011 Projected Space Needs Update has been done by the architects and she would like to get Anders Dahlgren, the expert from the Library Planning Associates, in Minnesota to attend a future meeting or update the Space Needs Estimate remotely. Miller asked how much it would cost to get him to Belleville and Green said it would be airfare, hotel, meals and a $1,200 per diem fee;
• Heard Boelter read a statement, saying a few members of the board had a meeting with the Mayor of Belleville about the impact of the library on the city, how much parking was required, the 30’ height regulation, and what the city would do with the library building. He said the Mayor would have a reply soon. Then, Boelter complained about press coverage and an email that asked members of the business community to attend library board meetings to support keeping the library downtown. He said he would not answer any questions; and
• Heard Renaud say he was concerned about the board having no deadline for a decision. He asked if they had settled on a building in Sumpter and heard Gutierrez reply that they can’t do that until they know where the main site will be. Renaud said Sumpter has to furnish a building, but board members said that wasn’t true. Renaud insisted it was in the district library agreement. When Secretary Joy Cichewicz read portions of the district library agreement aloud, she surprised board members by reading, “… Sumpter Township shall provide property and building…”