Minneapolis PL Asks for
New Library Referendum
The Minneapolis Public Library board put in a request to city council June 7 for a referendum in November to raise money for a new downtown library, following a funding plan announced in August 1999. A specific dollar amount won’t be determined until July, though estimates have been in the $126-million range, depending on the site chosen.
An amendment to the proposal left open the possibility that the measure would also include up to $29 million for new or renovated branch libraries. According to the June 8 Minneapolis Star Tribune, recent polling data suggest broader public support for branch improvements than for a new main library.
The action follows a recent decision to focus on developing a new library on the two blocks between 4th Street and Washington Avenue South and between Nicollet Mall and Hennepin Avenue. One proposal calls for the building to straddle 3rd Street, a concept that has been criticized by council member Lisa Goodman as conducive to crime. Another plan calls for building residential towers that might yield taxes to help finance the library.
Posted June 12, 2000.
|
