On Thursday night the Orange County Board of Commissioners and the Carrboro Board of Aldermen held their first ever joint meeting.
At the meeting, commissioners presented the proposed new criteria for the new location of the Southwest branch county public library.
The county rejected in August the first location in downtown Carrboro.
The proposed criteria will screen proposed sites in three phases.
“We hadn’t looked at these before,” said board Chairwoman Bernadette Pelissier. “We designed this new criteria based on what similar places had done.”
Phase one will look at the site’s visibility in the community, accessibility for the highest number of residents and capacity to accommodate services for long-term growth.
The second phase will look for a site that would be central to the people it wishes to serve, look at the site’s conditions and examine cost and availability.
The final phase will take into account the opinion of all stakeholders, discuss whether to lease or purchase the spot and identify any long term partnerships that could benefit the library.
The plan received various criticisms, particularly from the Board of Aldermen.
“My concern is that I am going to be in my seventies before we see a library, and I am in my fifties,” said Alderman Joal Hall Broun.
Commissioner Valerie Foushee said what the county can afford will be one of the main factors that will decide where they build the library.
Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton said he would like to see a library that is in an ideal location to serve the people that need it most, even if it is not the ideal facility.
But an ideal location may bring problems to Carrboro.
“We hesitate to take a parcel off your downtown center that could bring taxes during these economic times,” said Commissioner Barry Jacobs. Alderman Broun agreed.
Notable
Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton told the commissioners that if the quarter-cent sales tax up for vote in November passes, he hopes to see those funds used to redevelop abandoned industrial sites in the town.
Quotable
“As a commissioner we always look at redevelopment projects as economic development projects,” Commissioner Barry Jacobs said.
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