Over a six-year period (2014-20) Deschutes Public Library staff, consultants and architects had conversations with over 6,000 community members to settle on their final recommendation for the bond that was favorably voted on by our community this past November. I’m unclear as to why all of this diligent and responsible work is now being questioned. It seems that some do not like the new north Bend location; however, this will actually be more accessible to many of our friends from Tumalo, Redmond and Sisters.

To reassess the location and function of this central location, would we need to delay construction of a much -needed solution by another six years?

The responsible work was already done and included conversations with regional Realtors and the city of Bend’s economic development staff.

After all of the research and touring, library staff and the board agreed that the 12 acres at U.S. Highway 20 and Robal Lane met the vision for the future central library for many reasons.

The planned location provides convenient access off two major arteries (U.S. Highway 20 and U.S. Highway 97) and is in close proximity to schools and residential areas. It is in a fast-growing area of the county with more residential, commercial, schools and retail planned and is in close proximity to shopping, retail, public safety and fire services.

In addition, the library studied and considered the option of creating many smaller neighborhood libraries instead of one larger, centrally located building and expanding/enhancing the existing libraries. After much research and discussion, the board and staff decided against additional small, neighborhood libraries for the following reasons:

• It is too expensive to operate and staff multiple small libraries (library tax rate for operations is fixed at 55 cents/$1,000).

• Smaller neighborhood libraries do not solve the need for larger, flexible meeting room spaces for free classes, programs and story times and do not allow for a dynamic discovery and early learning center for children.

And while we’ve all been limited in being able to gather together over the past year plus, this will eventually subside, and the need for our community to gather will be greater than ever as we all crave that personal connection again.

• They do not allow for growth in the library collection but rather restrict library collections to its existing size — this would keep library collections on the decline as our community population continues to grow. In addition, the robust online and technology needs of our community require a tremendous effort to maintain and grow.

• Neighborhood libraries would not allow for the robust distribution and processing of materials required by the communities. Or allow for expanded services to schools, seniors and the homebound that a central library would provide.

• Nationally, an emphasis on neighborhood libraries has proven difficult to sustain as shown in Portland, New York and Seattle.

The library is working with the Oregon Department of Transportation to improve access through a new roundabout at Highway 20 and Robal Lane. The north Bend region is experiencing strong commercial and residential growth — a new Costco across Highway 20; new transportation hub center; 700 residential units planned near Costco; more residential units and schools planned just west of the library toward O.B. Riley Road; and major growth of Bend happening in this corridor.

The library has always shown a solid commitment to multimodal transportation and access to all citizens and has worked closely with Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council/Cascades East Transit on convenient bus access across the county.

The central library project will install nature paths, walking paths and bike paths for different access points to and from the library. The library is continuing to reach out to organizations and partners across the county to develop the most comprehensive plan for access and service for all people in Deschutes County.

It seems to me that we just need to get out of the way and let the library complete the proposed and accepted plan so we can sooner enjoy the results of all the hard work.

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