Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 23, 1993 TAG: 9310230064
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
BALLOT DOESN'T SAY, BUT BLACKSBURG IS LIBRARY SITE
A $1.88 million bond issue on next month's ballot would pay for the
renovation and enlargement of the Blacksburg branch of the regional library
system. But folks unskilled in geography may not realize it by reading the
question. The B-word _ Blacksburg, that is _ won't be found anywhere on
the bond portion of the ballot. Instead, it asks voters if the county should
issue bonds for the renovation of "an existing library to serve the northern
needs of the county." Library supporters had nothing to do with the
wording of the question _ written by a bond counselor for the county _ but
those who remember the lesson of 1990 aren't complaining. A bond question
that included money for a library "in the Blacksburg area of the county," a
new health and human services building and a Shawsville fire station was
rejected by voters that year. In the seven Blacksburg precincts voters
backed the referendums, but the proposal failed overwhelmingly in the rest of
the county. This time, the library bond question will stand alone and
supporters want voters to know that the project will benefit citizens county
wide _ not just in Blacksburg. A key aspect, said Nancy Hurst, head ofthe
Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library Board, is the $150,000 included in the bond
proposal that would pay to automate all three libraries in the regional
system. Checkouts and tracking of books are now done by cumbersome paper
records. Currently, only the main library in Christiansburg has records of
all the books kept in the regional system. So, if a book isn't on the shelf in
Blacksburg then a library staff member must call Christiansburg to see if it's
housed there or in Floyd. "It's all very time-consuming," said Jo Brown,
the regional library's associate director. The library system already has
the existing collection entered into a computer database, paid for by an
earlier grant, and adds new books as they come in. The bond money would pay
for the computer hardware and software necessary to open that information up
to the public. It also will allow the libraries to provide better service
while freeing up staff time for other projects, said Ida Comparin, interim
library director. Comparin said the Montgomery-Floyd regional system is
the largest in Southwest Virginia without automation. Hurst said the
equipment for the automation system will be housed in the renovated Blacksburg
library because it requires temperature-controlled space. It would cost a
great deal more to add such space to the Christiansburg headquarters, she
said. A better library in Blacksburg will also help influence new
industries when they consider locating in the county, Brown said. But the
bottom line, Comparin said, is that the Blacksburg library is outdated,
structurally unsound and simply bursting at the seams. The current branch
library uses 9,250 square feet of a 12,500-square-foot building. The
renovation would expand the structure to a usable 16,000 square feet. In
August, a sudden storm leaked through the roof of the former lumber company
building that now houses the branch library and damaged more than 400 volumes
of fiction. Many library supporters now sport bumpers stickers provided by
Supervisor Jim Moore that read, "Vote for Library Bonds or Bring Your
Umbrella." It was Moore _ a big library advocate _ who broke a 3-3
deadlock on a board vote that put the library bond on the election ballot.
Comparin and Brown said they fear the board's split on the bond issue will
make it more difficult to sell to the public. "We were stunned at that
vote," Comparin said. Comparin and Brown, as county employees, can't
campaign for the bond referendum. But they can show the situation as it exists
now and explain how the new design would change things. Virginia Beach
architect Richard Fitts has completed preliminary redesigns for the library.
His plan will move the library's main entrance from Draper Street to what's
now the rear of the building facing the parking lot. It would make more
efficient use of a huge warehouse area that's now filled with surplus county
property and voting machines. Friends of the Library _ a volunteer support
group _ is taking every opportunity to lobby for the project. They have
printed 10,000 brochures, 300 bumper stickers and 200 signs and are sending
speakers to civic clubs, PTAs and any other group that will listen. Hurst
said she's believes the bond has a better chance of passing this yar because
its not lumped with other building projects. A $2.9 million bond proposal for
the health and human services building will be a separate question for voters
this year. "There were so many items last time that it was like a
Christmas tree," said Jon Halberstadt. There also appears to be no
organized opposition to either of the bond projects. Halberstadt, a vocal
opponent to the bonds in 1990, said he will support both projects this year.
"These are necessary items and they both need to be passed," he said. "The
library needs to be done." Halberstadt said he was glad to see the library
bond include money for automation. Brown said the library is optimistic,
but by no means certain the bond will pass. "There are certainly no
guarantees," she said. Regardless, Comparin said, the need for a better
Blacksburg library won't go away. It's the only part of the regional system
that hasn't seen improvements in the last decade. If its not funded now
when bonds are at their lowest rate in years, then it might mean a tax
increase in the future, supporters said. "Given the choice, I think most
people would vote for the bond," Comparin said.
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