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'D'-ecision time

by Bill D'Agostino

By 3 p.m., most of the seniors have already left Mitchell Park Library. Those that remain check out their books.

Shortly after 3 p.m., scores of kids enter, done with their school day.

The reason for this generational revolving door, according to library advocates, is that Mitchell Park Library is ... just ... too ... small.

Out of Palo Alto's six libraries, Mitchell handles the most check-outs, but is one-third the size of the Main Library.

The bewildered and frustrated faces of patrons as they maneuver the crowded narrow spaces of Mitchell tell the story. So do the books themselves, stacked permanently on temporary metal rolling carts due to lack of shelve space.

On Nov. 5, Palo Alto voters -- after years of strife, controversy and commissions -- have a chance to revamp two of their libraries. "The big day is coming," Interim Libraries Director Dianne Jennings said. "This will really guide our future."

For a few, the cost ($49.1 million in bonds) is prohibitive. For others, the repairs are essential.

If Measure D passes -- and it needs an affirmative from two-thirds of city voters to get the go-ahead -- the dollars will be used to renovate and enlarge the Mitchell Park Library and Community Center as well as repair and expand the Children's Library.

"These are facilities that are long overdue for overhaul or replacement." Yes on D Co-chair Lanie Wheeler said.

The new Mitchell Park facility would be two stories, and a brand new homework center would be built on the second, leaving room for quiet study and reading on the first.

The Children's Library would also expand if the bond passes. It would also allow for repairs to the aging building.

The Children's Library is renowned for being the first stand-alone library for kids in the country. It was constructed in 1940 but has not seen any renovations or improvements since. Measure D supporters say it was built to accommodate only 15 percent of today's users and books.

On a recent tour of the Children's Library, Friends of the Palo Alto Library President Shelby Valentine pointed out harm throughout the building due to its age. Flood damage on one wall is evident and future floods could jeopardize the books underneath that corner of the building, Valentine noted.

A sign in the staff kitchen reading "use only one plug at a time" illustrates the problem with the building's wiring. And, perhaps most significantly, the building is not earthquake-safe.

Additionally, many books are currently kept on shelves higher than three feet off the ground, some even as high as six feet. Since the library's patrons are young and short, many of those books are out of reach for them, adding to the need for a larger structure, Valentine said.

If "D" passed, the library would expand from 3,400 square feet to 10,700, with a second floor added on one side of the building.

"It is our generation's turn to reinvest in the community," Wheeler said. "That has not been done for a very long time. We have the need and the opportunity to give these facilities to the future."

The measure, however, has met with some opposition, mainly from a handful of Mitchell Park neighbors who say the bond is too expensive and the new proposed buildings, too big.

"It's out of character with the community." South Palo Alto resident Jean Wilcox said of the proposed Mitchell Park Library and Community Center.

Currently, Mitchell Park Library is 9,500 square feet. The expansion would bring the square footage to approximately 53,900

"If they want six libraries, we should have six small libraries," Wilcox said. "If you want a big showy library, let's economize."

But "D" supporters don't think the proposal is out of proportion. They say the size is based upon the amount of people who visit the library and the amount of books on its shelves.

"This is a sensible solution that is scaled back and will meet our repair needs," Valentine said.

Between $5 to $15 a month is how much most Palo Alto residents will pay in higher property taxes if "D" passes. For every $100,000 of assessed property, homeowners would pay $28 a year.

For opponents, it's too much -- especially now, in the middle of a recession. In other words: it's the economy, stupid.

"It always comes back on the poor taxpayers of Palo Alto, doesn't it?" Wilcox asked. "They're always asking us for money."

Councilman Bern Beecham disagreed. "Now is a good time. This is a capital campaign," he noted that interest rates are at a four year low.

Additionally, the building industry is suffering, allowing the city to get the most bang for its buck, Beecham said. "If we want the best bids and the best people to come to work with us, now is the time to do it."

The loudest "D" defense comes from Wayne Martin, a frequent City Hall naysayer who has compiled a daunting array of statistics and excel spreadsheets to demonstrate what he believes is wrong with the measure.

One statistic Martin frequently cites is the declining amount of items taken out of the libraries per resident. Palo Alto libraries were once one of the most frequently used in the state. Today, however, Palo Alto residents use other county libraries and non-residents are going elsewhere.

"In 1990, 826,437 books were circulated as well as 214,875 videos/audios," Martin wrote in an e-mail. " Ten years later, book circulation dropped to 719,101 and the video/audio circulation stood at 256,510."

Martin says this is evidence that the library system is out of step with community needs. Ironically, the Yes on D folks use the same statistic to point out how badly needed the overhaul is.

Martin said the $49.1 million price tag is just the beginning. He contends the actual figure will be much higher, about $110 million, once interest is accrued. New staff will need to be hired to maintain the larger buildings, at a cost of $2.2 million, Martin added.

But Martin's numbers have been openly challenged by many in the pro-"D" campaign. Wheeler said he is using the largest dollar amounts possible to bolster his argument.

"Admittedly, there will be additional costs to staff ... but not everyone will have to have their masters degree in library sciences," Wheeler said.

The city's librarians they are already currently understaffed and overworked. Whether or not the bond passes, new staff should be hired, they say.

Sometimes Martin's figures are wrong, Valentine agreed, but mostly they're just "out of context."

Even Wilcox - who is on the same side of the debate as Martin -- worries that his charts dilutes their arguments. "I get very nervous. I know he likes to spread all his numbers around. I think this backfires on him and I told him so," Wilcox said. "Frankly, the city's figures are bad enough."

Martin freely admits that he doesn't use Palo Alto's library very much ("there's nothing there that I want," he said). Instead of spending money on buildings, he wants Palo Alto to create a "library of the future," one that uses technology -- rather than library staff -- to checkout books and collect fees.

If Measure D passes, the upgrades to children's library -- which account for only $6.5 million of the $49.1 million -- would likely begin during the summer of 2004 and reopen in early 2005. The Mitchell Park Library and Community Center would then close for construction, reopening possibly in late 2006.

If "D" fails, however ... well, that's not something library supporters like to talk about.

"I have this fear about what a defeat of this measure will say for future plans, programs, wants and needs in Palo Alto," Wheeler said. "We have built a very broad coalition of folks, some of whom haven't worked very well together in recent elections and in the recent past. If this group can't get it done ... then I'm really very concerned about getting any other infrastructure needs taken care of."

"Success on this improves the probability of whatever may come later," Beecham concurred. And what's coming later is a daunting list of needs and wants -- from repairs to storm drains, upgrades to police headquarters, and fiber to the home.

"It's just one thing after the other," Wilcox sighed.

But mostly if "D" loses, Valentine said half-jokingly, "then Palo Alto will have the libraries they deserve."

E-mail Bill D'Agostino at bdagostino@paweekly.com