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Library board creates committees
By Carey King
Jackson County's library board last week formally organized the two library planning committees county commissioners requested they create in September.
Attendees at the group's Jan. 19 meeting filled out forms indicating their willingness to serve on either or both the fund-raising and design committees, but board members waited until their Feb. 2 session to vote to appoint those volunteers to the two bodies.
"My fear is that if we don't take some real concrete steps, we're going to lose the impetus we've been able to establish," said board Chairman Howard Allman after several in attendance requested that all volunteers continue to meet together instead of splitting into two groups.
Many who signed up for the fund-raising committee also volunteered for design, and vice-versa, giving way to a large amount of crossover between groups. A complete list of volunteers can be found at www.newjacksonlibrary.org.
The two committees were scheduled to meet as one group Wednesday, Feb. 9. The design committee will then meet Wednesday, Feb. 16, and the fund-raising committee Wednesday, Feb. 23.
Meetings may move to Tuesday nights in March to allow people who attend church on Wednesday nights to be part of the library planning process, Allman said.
Also at issue last week was the amount of start-up money commissioners will offer committees to conduct their work, and the procedure volunteers should go through to spend that money.
Board member Ethan Staats urged that a contingent be sent to meet with commissioners or county Manager Ken Westmoreland to get answers to those questions.
"That needs to be done quickly. Like, now," Staats said.
Allman, board member Vance Davidson and librarian Michael Cartwright met with Westmoreland on Friday (Feb. 4) and discovered that the $50,000 commissioners approved last year for library planning has all been spent. Part of those dollars went to pay Sylva architect Odell Thompson for a study of six potential library sites, and the rest funded an environmental assessment, boundary survey and other necessary preparations at the Jackson Plaza property chosen to be the new library's home.
"Eventually what we're talking about is hiring a consultant to accompany each of the committees," Cartwright said – a move Westmoreland said would require committee members to interview potential candidates, then submit recommendations to county commissioners for hiring.
"They're not going to let volunteers use a checkbook," Allman said.
Commissioners will decide at that time how much the consultant or consultants should be paid, said Westmoreland, noting that architect's fees are generally six to eight percent of the total project cost.
"We asked them to only talk to architects with prior library experience," Westmoreland said.
A couple of architectural firms have already expressed interest in the project, Allman said.
Fund-raising committee members will be charged with the task of deciding how to channel the dollars they raise – either by establishing a 501(c)(3) non-profit or by working through the county or Fontana Regional Library, Allman said.
After confusion last fall over the library board's role in planning for the new facility, Westmoreland said the situation "seems to be sorting itself out."
"They seem to be getting their arms around it finally. We're encouraged," he said.
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