When the Summit County Council was recently approached about exploring design concepts for an overhaul of the Kamas branch of the county library, the County Council had some lofty suggestions of their own, including an outdoor gathering space, a snack shop and an event room.
"If we are going to do it, we should do it right," County Council member Claudia McMullin said.
While County Council members were tossing out ideas, one County Council member suggested adding a theater to eventually be able to bring the Sundance Film Festival and feature films to the East Side of the county.
The Kamas branch occupies the smallest space of the county’s three branches, but it serves the most people.
Concerned with population projections and the already strained facility, when the County Council approved the budget for 2015, it earmarked funds for an expansion of the Summit County Services Building in Kamas, which houses the library, Kamas location of the state’s division of motor vehicles, and county medical services, such as Valley Mental Health. Of the $9.8 million for capital projects, $3.5 million will be split over the course of two years for the expansion.
At a meeting on April 15, County Council members expressed a serious interest in pursuing designs that would meet the needs of the projections for future populations and not just the Kamas Valley’s short-term needs.
"Normally in this process what you run up against is you end up building an infrastructure for your current requirements," said Alex Peterson, vice chair of the Summit County Library Board. "I really got the sense over and over again that they don’t want us to build a library that we need today, but to design and build one that won’t be obsolete in 30 years."
A survey was posted on the county’s website in February to gauge South Summit residents’ opinions on upgrading the building. More than 280 residents responded to the 10-question survey. The suggestions included more space to sit, large tables to work from, a community gathering space and a more inviting kid area.
From those suggestions and the community’s feedback, the Library Board is proposing an 11,000-square-foot addition to the facilities building, equipped with wireless Internet, digital card catalogs, and larger and more varied spaces for adults and children.
The County Council voiced unwavering support for the ideas the Library Board presented for the facility, such as an outdoor space, a community room, study rooms, and separate children’s and teen areas with the entire space utilizing the latest technology and green building methods.
However, Peterson said now that the County Council has indicated the amenities it would like to see incorporated into the design of the building, funding may become an issue.
"The biggest issue we raised was that there may be a variance now between what they want and what they budgeted," Peterson said. "But I also sensed a real openness that they understood that and that they were fine with that, even saying ‘if you run into that problem come talk to us and we’ll re-examine the budget’."
"But it’s an interactive process and I thought we got really good feedback from them," he added.
With the County Council’s support and suggestions, the project will enter into the pre-design phase, Peterson said, where collaborative work will begin with the Summit County engineer.
"Now we are at the point where we have a budget, we think we know what the community wants and we think we know what the council wants," he said. "Now it’s the hard part of taking these big broad concepts and making them into some sort of design that is prudent fiscally, but is also the right library and we do it right."
According to the county’s Strategic Plan, ground-breaking on the facility is slated for the fall. But officials still have to get through the design and bidding phase to meet that date.
As the project is further vetted, Peterson said the board encourages residents to stay engaged.
"You don’t want to wake up and come out of your house the next morning and it’s all done and you say ‘gee I wish you would have painted it yellow’," he said.
For questions or comments about the library upgrade, contact Kamas branch manager Kate Mapp 435-783-4351.