Eudora residents will likely vote on a future proposal for a new library in 2025.
The Library Board met Tuesday night with the City Commission to discuss its plans. Board President Kenny Massey said the election would not happen until 2025.
Massey reviewed the results of their latest survey, showing that 89% of people believe the library is an important part of Eudora. About half of those who filled out the survey said the proposed library that failed in a public vote last year was too large and expensive, and 29% said they could not afford an increase in taxes.
The survey gave a clearer look into what people want in their library, Massey said. They want more small rooms for studying and meetings and more children’s programming.
The Library Board is also working to review the floor plan for the last library, and deciding what can be condensed.
“The board – we know we have our work cut out for us on getting this moving again,” Massey said. “Thirty percent of the people who voted no said they would reconsider if the library was smaller and less expensive, so that’s something we have to work on.”
Executive Director Carol Wohlford said libraries are much more than they used to be, as they have the opportunity to connect the community while providing needed resources.
“I think we need help with – from the city, from the school, everybody – to make people realize a library isn’t what you think it is,” Wohlford said. “If you’re gonna have a progressive, growing community and one that attracts young families – and ours is – we’ve got to get the word out and make people understand.”
Wohlford and Massey said the library is credited with starting Feeding Eudora and helping to bring the community navigation program to Eudora. This demonstrates what they do for the community, Wohlford said.
Wohlford hopes the building will have small meeting rooms for residents to study and to meet with community navigator Laura Smith or therapists.
Commissioner Roberta Lehmann asked the board how many rooms would be sufficient to reach their goal for growth. She also noted she was unaware that Feeding Eudora was a result of the library, and recommended the library works to get the word out about their projects.
Wohlford said she had envisioned four small rooms.
They said the library could do more community work if they had more space and had more opportunities to get more satellite offices into Eudora. Wohlford also said residents call often asking if there is a place for them to study, but there isn’t room in the current building.
“Mental health services – we really need, as a community, to find a way to get more mental health services into Eudora,” Massey said.
The board agrees they need to do more to market themselves and show the community what they do outside of having books. Massey also said there needs to be more conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion at the library because that is something Eudora doesn’t talk about enough.
Smith agreed that a need for more neutral meeting spaces in town is vital. A lot of times people don’t feel safe in their homes or can’t meet at city hall because they have unpaid bills, she said. Having safe, private meeting rooms would open up options for Smith to stay in Eudora with the people she helps.
“I deal with a lot of sensitive information daily with our citizens, and there’s not a lot of places for them to feel safe that we can go to have those conversations, and it’s hard,” Smith said. “The home is usually not a safe place, that’s why I’m helping them.”
Massey said the board’s goal with this meeting was not to necessarily ask for partnership, but to be able to communicate and bounce things back and forth with the city.
Board member Mike Keltner said participating in Citizens Academy showed him how each city department has grown to accommodate for the city’s population, and he hopes the library could do the same.
“When that library was built, the population here was under 3,000, and that’s not really sustainable,” Kelnter said. “You couldn’t accommodate a meeting this size in the current library.”
Board member Eric Magette said the Library Board needs to know what the city wants. As the president during the last bond issue, the board was disappointed with the lack of support they got from the city, he said.
Commissioner Roberta Lehmann asked the board how many rooms would be sufficient to reach their goal for growth. She also noted she was unaware that Feeding Eudora was a result of the library, and recommended the library works to get the word out about their projects.
“If you want something from us, if you’re looking for something from the library, we got to know what it is,” Magette said. “The community needs this and it doesn’t work as a board to try to guess what the city wants.”
Assistant City Manager Zack Daniel said there is a lot of collaboration possible between the parks department and the library to help inform their decisions. He said it is important in further planning to make sure efforts don’t conflict with library planning, but rather inform further decision-making as they reflect on the last bond measure.
Magette said they learned a lot the first time and will come back more prepared and with hopefully more partnership with the city.
Massey also recommended everyone go down to the library at a busy time to see how much takes place in a small space.
“Well, and I think it’s important for everybody to know – because a lot of our patrons do – that the walls are crumbling,” Wohlford said.
Wohlford said the library’s current building is to the point where it is a money pit.
In closing, Massey said he appreciates getting to collaborate with the city and hoped they were able to absorb and reflect on the library’s information.
“I appreciate the opportunity for us to get together and have this conversation,” Massey said. “I hope we provided you with some information that was useful.”
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].
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