I. The city did not ask the facilities study to look at new library sites.
a. We filed a public records request on what was communicated to Group 4, and as far as we can tell, there was no request to look at where the city should add a library branch. Instead, the study showed that across the city, there are people utilizing library services. We already knew that. People in West Boise utilize different branches.
II. Petition? What Petition?
a. Over 1,300 individuals have signed the petition for a library in West Boise.
b. When we presented the petition to city council in 2023, the response was, we will conduct a facilities study and look across the whole city.
c. When we presented to library trustees, everyone listened and was sympathetic, but the message we went away with is – we don’t think a library branch in West Boise is in the cards without significant donations. It doesn’t seem fair when tax dollars have built the current system.
III. West Boiseans showed up at every public forum and feedback was ignored.
a. The facilities study had a component of online feedback and in person listening sessions. In the online feedback, participation from the west most zip code tripled over the prior online survey.
b. West Boiseans attended all the public listening sessions held at different locations, one year ago.
c. We can’t find a record of the feedback given. We did not find it presented in trustees’ meetings, except for general statements like the public really appreciates library services and wants more.
IV. The public forums were orchestrated to avoid getting feedback on new library sites.
a. The sessions started with a historical presentation of the growth of Boise’s library facilities plan, how the previous iteration from the year 2000 gave us the branch libraries we have today, and now we’re looking at how we can make our current facilities work better. Giving feedback that we’d like a new library branch didn’t fit with the agenda.
b. The online survey also focused on which services are most valuable, it did not ask if distance to a library was an issue.
V. Staff are exaggerating building costs to make a new branch seem impossible.
a. The facilities study estimates the cost for a new facility to be 32-33 million dollars. The Bown Crossing library was completed in 2017 for 8 million dollars. The study calls for 25-30k square foot buildings, where the Bown Crossing and Cole & Ustick facilities are half that size. Construction costs have gone up; using the Mortenson construction cost index, the Bown Crossing facility would cost 13 million to build today.
b. We don’t need a facility double the size of our current facilities. It seems to be an all or nothing approach.
VI. Library trustees do not represent Boise equally.
a. All members of the Boise Library Board of Trustees live east of 36th Street. They’re well qualified individuals, but it’s not hard to see why they might overlook West Boise.
b. Citizens from West Boise have applied to board positions multiple times, but none have been selected.
VII. Boise is “green” and cares about “everyone” — except when it doesn’t.
a. The city actively promotes the use of public transportation, and less driving. Boise has goals for reducing carbon emissions. Boise tracks statistics on how many people have a vehicle available.
b. Yet when it comes to library access, it’s OK to expect that 5-mile drive – that’s how far it is from my house to the closest Boise Library branch.
VIII. The data is rigged.
a. Library Staff and Trustees have been talking about a 2-mile vs 3-mile proximity goal. Everyone would like to see a 2-mile proximity goal, but the concern is that then 6 new library branches would be required. There are actually 5 areas of Boise more than 2 miles from a library. If you take the combined 2020 census population of the 4 areas – Foothills, East End, Columbia Village, and near the airport, it’s shy of 6,000 residents. West Boise’s population outside that 2-mile radius is over 27 thousand residents. That’s almost 5 times the population of the other 4 areas, combined.
b. So instead the city would like to use a goal of 3 miles, which still leaves a hole in West Boise.
c. When you look at comparable cities (similar population, similar land area), you see that 2 miles or less is pretty typical. 2 miles vs 3 miles might sound like not much difference, but it is. Try it out for yourself.
IX. West Boise is the only area of the city that has spoken up.
a. We’ve heard it said that we wish we could have a library branch in every part of the city that wants one, but it’s not practical.
b. We’re not aware of any other part of the city asking for a library branch.
X. The city is choosing future residents over West Boise.
a. The current plan prioritizes increasing square footage at the Collister and Hillcrest Branches. I agree this makes sense. Next, staff are worried about the growth that’s coming in SE Boise, and where we should put a branch there.
b. There will be growth there. But shouldn’t we be thinking about residents who have already lived for decades with poor library access first?
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