Libraries apologize for lengthy -- and premature -- closures

When the Green Lake library closed in December for renovation, Annemarie Colino knew she was going to miss the convenience of strolling across the street from her house with her toddler and baby for storytimes, or just to browse the books.

From her front window, Colino can see the 93-year-old library. She expected a flurry of activity, with trucks, construction workers and painters coming and going.

Instead, there was nothing.

Colino and her husband were surprised last week to learn that although the library has been closed for four months, the contract didn't go out to bid until the middle of March. Bids were turned in April 10. Work is expected to start before the end of May.

It's the same story at the West Seattle library. Since the branch closed in January, almost no work has been done.

Library officials are apologetic and say that should not have happened.

"We will no longer close a library until permits are in place and we are ready to go out to bid," City Librarian Deborah Jacobs promised this week.

"A lot of lessons were learned from closing the Green Lake and West Seattle libraries."

Jacobs said the Northeast library branch at 6801 35th Ave. N.E. closed Saturday and construction bids were opened yesterday.

All the construction is part of a $196.4 million bond measure approved by Seattle voters in 1998 to renovate the city's 22 neighborhood libraries, and to build five new branches and a new central library downtown.

So far, three libraries have been finished: Wallingford, New Holly and Delridge.

Six neighborhood libraries are closed: Capitol Hill, which has been closed since November 2001 and is to reopen next month, Green Lake, West Seattle, Rainier Beach, High Point and Northeast. Thousands of books are in storage.

Costs are rising over original estimates, but Robert Goldstein, chief financial officer for Seattle's libraries, said there's no chance the money will run out before the last library is renovated.

"We planned to amend the budget from the start. We knew there would be changes," he said. "We have sufficient reserves to complete the projects."

The Green Lake renovation was originally to start in 2001 and was expected to take six months. The cost has climbed from a $602,000 estimate in 1998 to $899,592 in 2001, to $1.1 million now.

West Seattle has grown from $778,000 in 1998 to $2.2 million now because of added space in the basement, historic preservation requirements and art costs.

Jacobs said the bonds, interest earnings and private library foundation money are covering the costs.

"We have a limited pot of money, and we are using it well," she said.

Details on the costs, changes in plans and opening dates for each library are on the library's Web site at www.spl.org/lfa/.

An oversight committee, which includes City Council members Peter Steinbrueck and Jan Drago, the city's finance director and four citizens, regularly reviews project finances.

Steinbrueck said he has talked to library officials about sequencing the library closures so they will have less impact on citizens. "It wasn't intended to be this way," he said.

Closing the libraries for months before construction is scheduled to start wasn't a money-saving plan, Jacobs said. Most staff members from the closed libraries are working in other branches, which are being used more heavily.

Some citizens are frustrated that the Libraries for All project is, at least temporarily, shutting them out for no apparent reason.

"It is disappointing that it is closed and it doesn't seem necessary," said Peter Colino.

"If I saw someone working over at the library, I would be excited, I'd be over there helping them. I don't think we should have a community facility closed for four months. Libraries are just too important."

There is a long list of reasons for the delays, Jacobs said. In West Seattle there was a dispute over how much extra parking would be needed now that a public meeting room is being added in the basement.

The West Seattle and Green Lake buildings were built early in the last century through philanthropist Andrew Carnegie's worldwide library construction drive. Library officials had planned to replace the old worn windows. But because both buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places, the windows will now be restored instead.

Both buildings, which had been renovated before, also required unexpected asbestos surveys.

Work at the Capitol Hill branch was delayed when specially manufactured steel wasn't the quality required by the contractor.

CLOSED LIBRARIES

Several Seattle libraries closed for construction months before work actually started and the contract bid was announced. Library officials say that shouldn't have happened.

Capitol Hill (new building)