(Image above is Mark Salisbury and Kathy Graham, Centennial Neighborhood Association President, sending messages to individuals who signed the petition previously)
Dear Boise Public Library Board of Trustees,
My name is Mark Salisbury. I have been a resident of Boise since 2002. Not long after I moved here, I saw Boise improve its library system to become a library system with branch libraries, bringing libraries closer to where people live. I have lived in the same area of Boise – West Boise, close to Eagle Road and McMillan, since I moved here. I love the schools that are nearby. There are also a few parks close by that we frequently enjoy too.
You know where I’m going next: there isn’t a library close by. That’s why I reached out to city council member Luci Willits in early 2022 to ask, can we do anything about this? I attended city meetings in 2022, and in 2023 I started a group, called Citizens for a Library in West Boise. Together we ran a petition to see if there was support in the community to petition for a library. The response impressed me. Nearly everyone we spoke with was supportive, willing to sign the petition, particularly when they viewed a map showing the placement of Boise and adjacent libraries. (You can see messages posted by those who were willing to share publicly here: West Boise Needs a Library Too! – Citizens for a Library. Even now people are continuing to sign this petition). When we presented our petition to the City Council and Library Director Dorr, we were told that no decision would be made regarding a library branch in West Boise at that time, but instead a library facilities study would be conducted.
We’ve closely watched, and participated in, the facility study when opportunities for public feedback have been available. From the beginning, these studies have hinted that the library staff have been biased against the notion of a new library branch. The format of the questions and discussions has essentially been two questions: “what do you like about your library branch?”, “what would you like to see done differently?”.
Now that the draft plan of the facilities study has been made public through the monthly Board of Trustees meeting on August 13th, we’ve learned definitively that no, the plan for library facilities in Boise for the next 20 years is only to improve existing locations. I do appreciate the questions that were raised at that meeting in recognition of our requests and participation.
The analysis done in the study to determine if a new facility is necessary was surprising to me. As you know it is a map showing the rough home locations of library check outs for one week in April 2024. Even as it was presented it was recognized that data was incomplete, given that library users in Boise utilize branches outside Boise for which data is not available. The analysis had nothing to do with how many people need to travel how far to reach a library, or even the relative use of the library in certain neighborhoods.
As the topic was raised again during the meeting about the request for a library branch in West Boise and the data, the response was that: we’re not telling you that you can’t build another library branch. It’s wonderful if you do, but it would cost additional money. (Of course it would! It think it’s a very manageable amount however.) However, based on our property tax assessment, we all pay equally to fund the city, even areas without good library coverage. This rejection, after years of engagement, and data that shows the clear need, really feels like Boise is saying: Boise is a city for everyone, as long as you don’t live in West Boise.
This map I’ve created is different from ones I’ve shared previously that show a two-mile radius around each library. Instead, this simply shows boundary lines identifying the closest library:
I propose that in the next 20-year library facilities plan, we complete the library branch coverage idea initiated by the previous facilities plan 25 years ago. If a library branch were located along Cloverdale, between McMillan and Ustick, I believe it would provide optimal coverage of our underserved area. I would propose to call this the “Cloverdale” branch:
(Missing here is population density; if you are curious about population density a view of census data can be seen here: https://maps.geo.census.gov/ddmv/map.html. Please check back at https://citizensforalibrary.org/west-boise/interactive; I plan to make this an interactive map incorporating census data.)
The facilities plan had three different options, A, B, and C, with different trade-offs for timing, and C maximizing community engagement by announcing improvements at all locations at the same time.
I propose an option D that works like this:
3 new library facilities will be added: Cloverdale, Collister, and Hillcrest. Collister and Hillcrest, currently leased space, will be replaced by standalone facilities. Small updates will be made to Cole & Ustick and Bown Crossing, with updates being planned for the main library farther out.
Steps to execute plan D:
- Obtain approval from City Council for a library facilities plan that includes additional staff for one new library branch, when that facility comes online.
- Locations are identified in the right locations and land is acquired ASAP, using city capital funds.
- It’s important to acquire the land ASAP to proceed with the remaining steps in the plan, and because options are becoming scarcer and scarcer, at least that’s what I’ve observed in my part of town.
- I know there will be a battle to spend any capital funds, they are in demand for many project ideas!
- With locations in hand and a vision for what the new buildings will be, work with the non-profits who support the library system, the Boise Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Boise Public Library, to raise private money to help write the next chapter in the Boise Library System.
- With a movement already underway to revitalize and enhance the branch library system, go to the voters for approval for a levy to fund the construction of the facilities. The message should include that private donations are helping to lower the cost of the new facilities but cannot completely cover the cost. (What this mix will be – we will have to see when we get closer to that time how much money can be raised through private contributions).
- If the levy passes, bids go out and construction begins as soon as possible.
- If the levy fails, I suspect that private contributions might be returned to donors, as they were in 2019 when the new main library project failed. Also, with the land in hand, it’s not that the projects will never happen, but they will be delayed. We can’t predict the future economy or even the future political climate that may be more (hopefully) supportive of education and investment in libraries.
Additionally, because we don’t know if a levy will pass and when we might begin construction on new facilities, I would urge that we also look for a leased space option for West Boise. This space could likely be found in the Boise Research Center. I do not believe this is a good long term location; while it would be closer to where I live I do not think it would (a) be as visible as a location directly along Cloverdale Road and (b) be located well, like the proposed Cloverdale branch is in the map above, serving both citizens in the Centennial Neighborhood Association and West Valley Neighborhood association, which cover the west most side of Boise.
As members of the Library Board of Trustees, I urge you to request that the plan be amended to include a new library branch for West Boise also. If a library branch is included in the new facilities plan, I will support efforts, including a possible levy, to realize the plan.
On the other hand, if the plan continues as proposed currently, I would not be supportive of a future library levy. It would feel too much to me like 2018 – 2019, where a library project was planned that was not in sync with the community.
Sincerely,
Mark Salisbury
Founder, Citizens for a Library in West Boise
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