Library Building Committee trudges along

A proposal drafted by the City of Jasper's Engineering Department during Mayor Bill Schmitt's administration.
A proposal drafted by the City of Jasper’s Engineering Department during Mayor Bill Schmitt’s administration. The rendering shows how a 22,500 square foot building and additional parking could be placed on the existing “Centennial Park” property.

The Jasper Library Building committee met for the fourth time Monday evening.

The group discussed options they have explored so far in regards to a new building or the redevelopment of the existing library building or of another structure in Jasper.

The current 60-year-old building is about 11,000 square feet and holds about 110,000 items, circulating about 254,000 items annually. It has the third largest circulation compared to other cities of a similar size in the state and serves those materials from a building that is less than half the size of its counterparts.

The committee has all but scrapped any plan to renovate the existing structure due to two engineering studies that the past library boards have commissioned. The two reports agree the existing structure is cost prohibitive to add on to as a single story and won’t support the addition of a second floor.

The library does own the annex building (Gutzweiler building) across the street but without renovations that building is only good for meeting areas and office space — the floors of the two story building are not built to hold the weight of books. The $2 purchase has allowed the main library building to free up some space though by allowing the library director Rita Douthitt to move her office there along with other administrative offices.

Although, they have basically abandoned exploring adding on to the existing library building, they are still examining the possibility of demolishing it and constructing a new library at the 1116 Main St. location. A plan completed by the past City of Jasper administration demonstrated how a 22,500 square foot building and parking lot could be constructed on the existing site.

The only other site members of the committee have explored so far is the Hoosier Desk building at the corner of Mill Street and Third Avenue. The Hoosier Desk building is about 144,000 square feet and is owned by Ken and Paul Sternberg. According to Ken, the building was built in the 1920s and has been added onto over the years. The last addition occurred sometime in the 1960s.

The building is part of the nearly 600,000 square feet of empty industrial real estate identified in the Jasper Downtown/Riverfront Master Plan that could be renovated for new uses.

The Hoosier Desk building could be used to house restaurants, loft apartments, retail areas and meeting rooms according to the CityVision and Gamble and Associates suggestions. The Jasper Arts department has been seeking additional space and has put a planned expansion at the current location on Jasper’s east side on hold while the city’s plans continue to be shaped.

They announced their interest in having a presence downtown at the Hoosier Desk building and the Astra Theater last month.

The meeting and tour of the Hoosier Desk facility was to explore a possibility of a partnership between the Jasper Arts Department and Jasper Library in the Hoosier Desk building.

Although the committee identified the location as ideal geographically and appreciated the potential of renovating a historic building, they also agreed that the cost of such an endeavor and the potential future expenses in regards to maintenance of the old structure would have to be considered.

The group also plans on touring the Jasper Cabinet building as they continue to explore options to make their recommendations to the Jasper Library Board.

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