Can St. Joe Co. library branches be improved?
Public ideas sought
SOUTH BEND — Two years after it opened its expanded new downtown library, the St. Joe County Public Library is now reaching out to the public to hear what its nine branches need as it looks to the next 10 years.
Meetings on Oct. 10 and 11, a 5-minute survey online, and focus groups are set to collect ideas.
The library has just a few notions of what the branches need, Communications Manager Marissa Gebhard said. The Western branch may need new carpeting and furniture. The German Township branch has lovely choi ponds, but is there an alternative to the expensive maintenance that they require?
Before consultants explore any of that, she said, it’s reaching out to patrons, because “we are starting at ground zero.”
For example, the library could hear from patrons about whether certain branches need to rearrange furniture or create new spaces. It wants to know what’s going well, too.
“Everything’s on the table,” Gebhard said. “The public needs are going to play a really, really big role in the plan.”
All of that would be considered for a 10-year master plan, titled “Our Next Chapter,” to chart out priorities.
She likens it to the public listening that the library did before developing its Community Learning Center in downtown, which created extra meeting space because of public demand.
“We have nine branches that collectively receive a half a million visits per year, and these buildings haven’t been touched in over 15 years,” Executive Director Stephanie Murphy. “We know that the fiscally responsible and common sense approach is to have a really solid plan in place to address our branch facility needs over the next 10 years.”
The Tutt, LaSalle, River Park and Western branches may need the most work because they are among the oldest. But some buildings may need only modest improvements. The German Township, Francis, Lakeville and Centre Township are the most updated.
The library is paying $67,500 to MKM architecture + design to access the buildings and develop the master plan. MKM will evaluate the physical needs at each building, with a special eye on big-ticket expenses such as HVAC systems, so the library doesn’t have to deal with several of them all at once, Gebhard said.
The only thing the library knows for certain, she said, is that it won’t close any of the branches and that it’s unlikely that there will be enough money to create a new branch.
The funding for any major capital expenses, she said, would likely come through a special bond.
Project updates will be posted to https://sjcpl.org/nextchapter.
To take the brief survey, visit https://surveys.librarycustomer.org/ s3/7497853.
The public meetings will be: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 10 at Charles Martin Youth Center, 802 Lincoln Way W., South Bend.
6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at Southeast Neighborhood Center, 405 E. Dubail Ave., South Bend.
6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at The Well, 2410 E. Mishawaka Ave., South Bend.
South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.