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Library Board Votes to Continue at Voter-Selected Site

Cheyenne, Wyo. - At a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 27, the Laramie County Library System’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to continue its work on placing the new Laramie County Library building on the voter-approved location.

With the recent availability of the former home of Trilegiant, some in the community felt that the library should choose that location for the new facility.

During the meeting, the board and others in attendance examined the pros and cons of the use of the Trilegiant building, including cost, location, liability, legal issues and several other concerns.

“It’s gratifying that the future of the library generates such passionate interest in the community,” Barbara Rogers, chair of the LCLS Board of Directors, said.

In November 2003, Laramie County voters approved a proposition of $26.9 million that specified exactly where the new library building would be located: north of 22nd Street, south of 23rd Street, west of Pioneer Avenue and east of O'Neil Avenue.

Known as the specific purpose tax, this money would also be used for improving and equipping the Pine Bluffs Branch Library and acquiring a new bookmobile.

County Attorney Peter Froelicher issued a response to the Board’s question regarding the use of the tax revenue for a new location. His research indicated that “plain and unambiguous language used throughout the statutes clearly indicates that the proceeds from the specific purpose tax must be used for the specific purposes which were approved by the voters.”

In his investigation, he determined that the only way to even try to obtain a facility such as Trilegiant would be to start from square one, including holding another election, with no guarantee of success.

Some opinion in the community suggested that the price for buying and remodeling the 33-year-old Trilegiant building would be much cheaper than building a new facility. However, investigation from the architectural firm Anderson Mason Dale indicates that this would not be the case.

A library must meet much different construction requirements than a standard office building, which would affect remodeling costs. Additionally, the building is listed at $21 million although there has been suggestion that it could be purchased for approximately $12 million.

Using the $12 million figure and includes remodeling costs and various other fees and expenses, the total for this option would be approximately $24.3-$31.7 million dollars.

This amount exceeds the figures prepared for the construction of a new building and does not include money for operations and maintenance.

“The only way to use the revenue for the Trilegiant location is to renounce the current project and start the tax process over, halting this project until probably 2006,” Rogers said. “The Board would then need to return to where we were a year ago and start again to seek support from the Commissioners and municipalities for a new election.”

Given the delay, uncertainty, and expense associated with attempting to purchase the Trilegiant building, the Board has decided to continue to focus on preparations for building the new library on the site approved by the voters.

“The board and the experts involved in this process have done an amazing amount of work to ensure that this option was reviewed thoroughly,” Troy Rumpf, LCLS Public Relations Specialist, said. “It’s time to move forward with the Laramie County Library building project in the location that voters already approved and make sure that we give the citizens of Laramie County the best library possible.”

The library will continue to hold public meetings throughout the construction process.

The public is welcome to offer comments on the Laramie County Library building project by e-mailing building@larm.lib.wy.us, completing a comment form in any library facility, or by calling 635-1032, ext. 121.