The Seattle Public Library board of trustees has narrowed its list of potential sites for a new 15,000-square-foot Ballard library to three. The current library is one of the system's busiest branches and has outgrown its 7,296-square-foot program area. Voters approved money for a new $6.5 million facility in November 1998. The building will feature more space for books, enlarged areas for children and young adults, added computer and instructional space, a multipurpose room and more parking.
Two sites board members agreed to consider further were Bartell Drug Store and U.S. Bank properties. Both sites are included as possible library locations in the proposed municipal center master plan. Both are within two blocks of Market Street and offer high visibility.
The third site is the Eagles Hall and adjacent Service Garage, located on 24th Avenue Northwest. The parcel is bounded by Northwest 56th and Northwest 57th streets, and on the east side of 24th Avenue Northwest.
Library Board member Linda Larson, who is also the board steward for the new branch, said there was enthusiastic community support for the two sites proposed in the municipal center master plan. Both at community meetings and in written comments, residents expressed a preferred interest in those locations, she said.
The board agreed to keep the 23,600-square-foot Eagles Hall and Service Garage on the list in case it is not able to act expeditiously on the other sites. "The community has been very clear that it wants us to move forward and not wait on this," Larson said.
A matrix with an analysis of the sites, as well as a map of the sites, is available at the Ballard Library and on the Library's Web site: www.spl.org.
The board is continuing to collect public comments until its next meeting scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14 at the Central Library, 1000 4th Ave., Lee Auditorium. At that meeting, the board will direct staff to begin property negotiations on the final sites.
More information is available on the Library's Web site: www.spl.org, or by calling the Capital Program Office at 206-386-4624. Comments may be e-mailed to: capital.program@spl.org.
(Or for more information, call Andra Addison, public information officer, at 206-386-4103)
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Content modified: 24 November 1999
12/30/2005
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