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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes City Council - 02/07/1983 - SpecialMINUTES CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 7, 1983 7:20 P.M. ROOM 221 - CONVENTION CENTER PRESENT: Mayor Luther Jones Mayor Pro Tem Betty N. Turner Council Members: Jack K. Dumphy Bob Gulley Dr. Charles W. Kennedy Cliff Zarsky Library Board: Mrs. Alicia Gallegos -Gomez, CHairman Mrs. Patty P. Mueller Mrs. Beverly Wallace, Ex -Officio Member Mr. Joseph E. Gardner, Jr. Mrs. Jeff Bell Mrs. J. R. De Leon Mr. Harold L. Preismeyer City Manager Edward Martin City Attorney J. Bruce Aycock City Secretary Bill G. Read ABSENT: Council Member Herbert L. Hawkins Mayor Luther Jones called the meeting to order in Room 221 of the Convention Center and stated that the purpose of the meeting was to conduct a public hearing in regard to the proposed site for the new Central Library. Mayor Jones called on Mr. Roger Pearson, Director of Libraries. Mr. Pearson made opening remarks in regard to the search for a site for a central library. He explained the difference between a branch library and a central library, noting that in addition to reading services, a central library is a research center, a reference library, and that it provides a core book collection of about 180,000 volumes. He pointed out that the central library, or La Retama Library, is a delivery service for the branch libraries and serves as headquarters for the South Texas Library System and the Interlibrary Loan Service. Mr. Pearson explained other functions of the library and the various collections of books, films, records, etc. He noted that the City of Corpus Christi has four branch libraries which primarily provide reader service. 'OFILMED ►S!P 19 199 nutes Special Council Meeting February 7, 1983 Page 2 Assistant City Manager James K. Lontos addressed the Council and the audience on the various library sites proposed. He reviewed the work of the Site Selection Committee which consisted of, in addition to himself, Mr. Roger Pearson, Director of Libraries; Mr. Torn Utter, Assistant City Manager; Dr. Gregory Gridley, with Friends of the Library; Mr. Bill Hennings, Assistant City Manager; and Mrs. Patty Mueller, Ex -Chairman of the Library Board. Mr. Lontos continued by explaining the six basic criteria in the selection of a site as follows: (1) accessibility; (2) visibility and prominence; (3) site cost; (4) economic impact on the area; (5) adequate site size; and (6) proximity to highest density of business and industrial users. He stated that the Committee had considered seventeen sites and out of that number, they had selected seven sites that most nearly met the criteria set up. He explained that the Committee then requested the architect to make an analysis of those seven sites and following the architect's report, the Committee had narrowed the recommended sites down to three. Mr. Lontos explained also that the Committee unanimously concurred with the recommendation that site number 4 was the number 1 choice and that it is located in a single block bounded by Cooper's Alley, North Carancahua, Upper Broadway and Kinney Streets. Mr. Lontos then informed the Council that since that time, three additional sites had been considered by the Site Selection Committee as follows: Site #18 - Old Tourist Bureau Site on Shoreline, plus two properties adjacent to it; Site #19 - McCaughan Park; Site #20 - City Hall Annex Site. He explained that the Committee considered these after their first investigation after it became apparent that those sites would be available following the construction of the new City Hall Building. Mr. Lontos briefly described the seventeen locations considered for the central library as follows: (1) single block bounded by Comanche, Carrizo, Blucher and Artesian, adjacent to Blucher Park; (2) single block bounded by Comanche, Carrizo, Blucher and North Tancahua, adjacent to Blucher Park; (3) Section bounded by Tancahua, Blucher, Carancahua and Cooper's Alley, encompassing a section of Cooper's Alley (l1 block); (4) single block bounded by Cooper's Alley, North Carancahua, Upper Broadway and Kinney; (5) portion of a block bounded by Kinney, Tancahua, Carrizo and Blucher, contiguous with Blucher Park; (6) portion of a block bounded by Kinney, Tancahua and Laredo, extending west beyond Carrizo into a residential neighborhood; 7) a nutes Special Council Meeting February 7, 1983 Page 3 parcel bounded by Tancahua, Carancahua, Agnes and Laredo, on the south side of Interchange; (8) a parcel bounded by Cooper's Alley, Mesquite and Chaparral; (9) a parcel bounded by Agnes, Tancahua and South Bluff Park; (10) Exposition Hall; (11) portion of a block between Williams and Laguna on Mesquite facing Gold Star Park; (12) Parkdale Plaza; (13) a single block bounded by South Water, Kinney, South Chaparral and Cooper's Alley (presently used for auto storage) (14) municipal parking lot bounded by IH 37, Mesquite and Twigg, adjacent to Caller -Times; (15) a parcel in the median strip of IH 37 between Mesquite and Chapparal; (16) a parcel in the median strip of IN 37 between North Water and Chaparral; and (17) Greenwood Library/ City County Health Complex. Mr. Lontos again referred to this Committee's recommendation for approval of site no. 4. He explained that the Committee met that day to discuss the three additional sites and had not had an opportunity to study them completely. Mayor Jones inquired if anyone in the audience had questions to ask Mr. Lontos. Mr. Butch Escobedo inquired if the recommended site is in a safe area, and Mr. Lontos replied that this could be controlled by proper lighting and the fact that a fire station is located directly across the street. Mr. J. E. O'Brien inquired if the selection has already been made because in driving through the City he had noticed that that particular lot was already being cleared. An unidentified lady in the audience inquired about the availability of parking at this site, and Mr. Lontos informed her that the architect had established the fact that 130 parking spaces could be installed at every site considered. Another unidentified lady inquired as to how it was determined that the business sector uses the library so extensively and asked for an explanation as to how that conclusion was reached. Mr. Pearson explained that they had conducted a survey at La Retama Library of over 500 people who came into the library and requested assistance. He stated that of the people who came into the library, they discovered that 65% of them resided or had places of business in zip codes that indicated that their businesses were located in the Central Business District. He also stated .lutes Special Council Meeting February 7, 1983 Page 4 that 70% of the people arrived at the library by automobile and the remainder walked to the library. He assured the Council and the audience that La Retama Library does have heavy usage by a large number of business firms and this fact was ascertained by the type of material used which is primarily reference material rather than reading material. Mr. Jack Gordy questioned Mr. Pearson about the time of day that the study was conducted and if similar studies were made at the branch libraries. Mr. Pearson stated that the studies were conducted between the regular library hours of 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., Monday through Friday. Mr. Gordy continued by stating that according to a survey conducted by Channel 3, it was determined that most of the people participating in the Eye Witness Poll did not think that downtown was the best location for a central library. He suggested that if a decision is made now, the Site Selection Committee should consider who will be using the libraries ten years from now. He pointed out that there is no public bus service for children in outlying areas and they would find it very difficult to reach a library in the downtown area. He objected to the location downtown and questioned why no one ever considered the children who use the library. Mayor Jones pointed out to Mr. Gordy that there are four branch libraries located in various areas of the City. Mrs. Mueller stated that the Library Board is very concerned about the children. She stated that the study conducted at La Retama Library indicated that there were a larger number of children going to La Retama Library than to Parkdale Library. Mr. Gordy suggested that Padre Island Drive and Ayers Street would be a good location and informed the Council that there is a vacant property in that area. Mr. Cliff Moss, of the Friends of the Library, expressed appreciation to the Council and the Library Board for conducting this hearing. He expressed the opinion that the library is the semblance of the intelligence of the community and stated that the City needs a new library as soon as possible. He reminded the Council that over $5 million has been approved for the construction of the library and in his opinion, the Library Board, the City Staff and the Site Selection Committee have the expertise to make the decision on the site. He stated that the Friends of the Library felt that the new library should be in the Central Business District because this is the focal point of the ,nutes Special Council Meeting February 7, 1983 Page 5 City, He reminded the Council that the Friends of the Library has $60,000 to contribute to the improvements to the library and urged that a decision be made on the site as soon as possible so that the project can become a reality. Mr. Jim Boggs mentioned his previous service on the Library Board and stated that one of their accomplishments at the time he was serving was to prepare the criteria for development of a new library. He stated that the result of that study was that the central library should be in the Central Business District of the City. He, too, agreed that the Site Selection Committee should be the body to select the site. He agreed that there is a need for additional library services on the south side of the City but he did not think that that the central library should be located there. He referred to the proposed location on Shoreline and expressed the opinion that proximity to the water could incur damage to the library contents. Mr. Benny Benavides spoke in favor of the number 1 site because of its accessibility by bus and its proximity to the Courthouse. He expressed the opinion that it is an ideal location because it can be reached from all areas of the City. Mrs. Phyllis Allen stated that she had used the Corpus Christi Libraries for many years. She referred to Mayor Jones' question about libraries in other cities and mentioned several cities in Texas that have new libraries which are all located in the Central Business District. She urged expediency in establishing a site so that the project can move forward. Mr. Escobedo spoke again and stated that most of his questions had already been answered but again expressed concern about the safety factor and the fact that the location should be accessible to all citizens. Mr. J. E. O'Brien, representing the Corpus Christi Taxpayers' Association, stated that he did not agree with other speakers that the Council should make a selection of a site as soon as possible because he was of the opinion that they should take as much time as possible. He referred to an ad paid for by Friends of the Library that had been in the Corpus Christi Caller -Times in which it was stated that several public hearings will be conducted. He stated that he hoped that this was only the first of several. He stated that he did not feel that the library should be located in the Central Business District because of the shape of the City of Corpus Christi. He stated that the Taxpayers' Association would like to see the site selection ,lutes Special Council Meeting February 7, 1983 Page 6 conducted in a fair and open manner so that everyone in the City could provide input. He agreed that number 1 is the best of the three preferred sites. He also expressed the opinion that the library should be located on land already owned by the City in order to save money. He alleged that the Library Board had always preferred a location in the downtown business district but pointed out that Parkdale Library is used a great deal and he felt that the central library should be located there. He urged that other public hearings be held in various areas of the City. Mrs. Lucy Hill expressed the opinion that the telephone survey was not very good and urged that the community not be polarized again and expressed the opinion that the Central Business District is the best location because it would not favor any particular area of the City. She also reminded the Council that there is new business development in the areas of the three sites preferred and also pointed out that many large cities have central libraries in the central business district. She urged that the Council consider the recommendation of the Site Selection Committee. No one else spoke in regard to this matter. Council Member Zarsky inquired if any more hearings were scheduled. Mrs. Gomez stated that the Board has not set any additional public hearings but pointed out that this is actually the second hearing because a forum was conducted several months ago but only two people attended. Mrs. Mueller stated that the Library Board will meet and make a recommendation to the City Council. Mayor Pro Tem Turner expressed the opinion that the Council should move forward to agree on a site as soon as possible. She also informed the members of the audience that the Council Members were always available for further comments from the public either at Council Meetings or by personal phone calls. Mr. Moss addressed the question of public hearings and stated that at a meeting of the Friends of the Library, the architect had made a presentation and all of the Library Board meetings are open. A motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem Turner that the hearing be closed, seconded by Council Member Zarsky and passed unanimously. A motion was made by Council Member Dumphy that the Council make a decision on the library site as soon as the Library Board presents a recommendation to them; seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Turner; and passed a 1 nutes Special Council Meeting February 7, 1983 Page 7 unanimously. There being no further business to come before the Council, on motion by Council Member Zarsky, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Turner and passed unanimously, the Special Council Meeting was adjourned at 8:31 p.m., February 7, 1983.