The most heated discussion at last night’s Great Bend City Council meeting came when the discussion of reimbursement of the new heating and air conditioning system for the library came up in the agenda.
The Great Bend Public Library and City had an agreement arranged last year stating the City would pay for the system up front and be paid back over the next eight plus years from the one mill levy that was approved for capital improvements of which this was the initial project.
Council member Dana Dawson voiced his opinion that the tax dollars were not being wisely spent.
Dana Dawson Audio
The City of Great Bend owns the library building at 1409 Williams but they do not manage the structure. Dawson felt the price tag for the new heating and air conditioning unit was a tad extravagant, totaling 762,012.92.
Dawson was concerned with pouring that much money into the project and annually allocating so much money to the library considering the uncertainty of libraries in the future.
Dana Dawson Audio
In 2015, Great Bend allocated $675,000 to the public library. That dollar amount is $111,000 more than what is funded for the zoo and $24,000 more than what the streets department is given.
The Great Bend Public Library Director Harry Willems spoke at the council meeting stating that libraries are a necessary feature of a community and that they are here to stay for the long haul.
Already stating that they would, the council voted to authorize the payment to reimburse the library for the new heating and air conditioning system and put the library on an 8 and a quarter year loan at a 2 percent interest rate.
The public library is temporarily located at 3407 10th Street inside the old Blockbuster building until the renovations are done. The library plans for the installation of the heating system to be complete no later than the end of April.