City Okays Application to Include Library on the Historic National Register

IRONWOOD, MI - Thursday, January 13, 2011 - At Monday night's City Commission Meeting, Ironwood Carnegie Library Director Elaine Erickson urged the Commission to allow the Library to file an application to include the Library on the Historic National Register.

"Hi! I'm excited to appear before you on this issue. We would like to do this," Ms. Erickson told the Commission, "Because it opens us up to some grants, and very large grants -- $300,000 and $400,000 types of grants. So we'd like to be considered for those, and in order to be considered we have to be on the National Register. And that was the impetus to do this. And also you can leverage those grants against each other, so if you get one $300,000 that can match another grant, etc."

"We are just thinking since it is your building -- the City's building -- we'd like to have your approval to continue on down that application. I did have a discussion with the State Historic office. I described to him some of the renovations -- I described to him all of the renovations that we were talking about. It's my understanding that previously it had been very difficult to do anything to the building, but, that is now not the philosophy, and certainly all of the things were were thinking about and putting the addition to the building are things that they do approve of."

"In addition, any Federal grant that we would get like the Rural Development Grant that we have been looking at before has to go before the State Historic office anyway, regardless if we're on the National Register and that office had approved some of our preliminary plans from the beginning. So, I don't see that being any kind of block to maintaining the building or getting it renovated."

"We're excited about the possibility of getting to access some of the other types of grants. And you have other buildings in the area that are National Registers  -- one is the Theatre has been and it is my understanding the the old Fire Department had been and you were able to demolish that building when you saw fit to do so. It should be a relatively easy process."

Don Maki said, "I just want to make sure the City and the Library Board does due diligence once it's in the National Registry. Is the City still responsible for all the maintenance and upgrades, and once it's in there can it ever be taken out? Because I still believe that building should be taken down and the Library moved into the Memorial Building.

"As I said," Ms. Erickson replied, "You did have the Fire Department that was on the National Register and you were able to demolish that. It really is, you're on the hook for maintenance as much as you are  now. Though, I really don't know how to respond to that. It doesn't require you to do anything but it does all us to have access to grants."

Commissioner Semo asked, "What's the procedure for achieving this final approval?"

"We submit an application and they approve or disapprove of our application. I've been working with the State office and I think it's -- you know, I don't want to say anythings a slam-dunk these days -- but it seems that they recognize the value of Carnegie Libraries and the historic significance of that. He came to see our building and he thought it retained the general feel of a Carnegie Library and so I'm really positive about it. But there are -- as i said -- our sole impetus of that there are these grants out there that we would like to be able to sign up for. I can name three places right now that specialize in preserving what they call 'America's Treasures' and provide really quite a lot of money, so we'd like to be able to gain some of that."

Commissioner Corcoran asked if the City would be locked into a certain level of upkeep with the building listed on the National Register.

Erickson told Corcoran that it was her understanding that such was not the case. She went on to say that there is one person in the State office and she highly doubts that he would be on the City's back constantly watching everything the Library did.

Commissioner Lucius made a motion to allow for the application. Commissioner Lamb supported Lucius' motion. Before a vote was taken, Commissioner Lucius noted that his parents ran a bed & breakfast in North Carolina that was on the National Register and he said they were not overly-restrictive with regards to changes, etc. When the vote was taken the Commission unanimously approved the application.

In a related matter, the Commission voted against approval of the 2010-2015 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) by a vote of 3 to 2.

The CIP is often referred to as the City's "wish list" or "crystal ball" and it not intended to be a definitive plan for the future, however, two of the Commissioners felt uncomfortable approving the CIP since it contained items the Commission has clearly voted down in the past.

Commissioner Lucius pointed out that the Library has come before the Commission twice in the past and both times it was voted down. He said he felt uncomfortable approving the CIP when it clearly contradicts actions taken by the Commission.

Mayor Burchell agreed with Lucius. Burchell pointed out that bathrooms for Longyear park are also on the list. He said, to the best of his knowledge nobody feels these bathrooms are a priority on anyone's list.

Commissioner Lamb said the Port-a-Potties at Longyear have served the City well and they have proven to be cost effective. She also agreed that the Library was not a major priority for the City Commission and it is no so stated in the CIP.  She mentioned the fact that the debt service on the Memorial Building was soon to be paid off. She said, at that time improvements and renovations to the Library may be something to examine. She said, however, supporting a CIP that shows major renovations to the Library as a top priority in these tough economic times is not responsible. And it is not something the Commission was willing to stand behind at this time.

Commissioners Semo and Corcoran both view the CIP as a guideline and they saw nothing wrong with approving it as it is presented.

In the end Lamb made a motion to approve the CIP as presented. Semo seconded the motion. And a role call vote was taken. Voting "No" were Lamb, Lucius and Burchell. Voting "Yes" were Corcoran and Semo.

Under the "Citizens Wishing to Address the Commission on Non-Agenda Items" section of the Agenda, Don Maki again brought up the Library.

"They're running Library ads almost daily in the paper." he said. "You increased the budget for the Library last time where we're paying almost a million dollars in taxes each year to support this library..."

Bob Burchell interrupted Mr. Maki and corrected him stating it was a millage that supported the library and it was less than one mill. He said the money generated from one mill wasn't even close to a million dollars -- it was closer to eighty thousand dollars. City Finance Director Julie Frederickson said a more accurate figure was closer to the $75,000 range.

Maki continue by stating the ads in the Globe weren't cheap and he questioned the reasoning for the weekly ads.

Mayor Burchell explained to Maki that they had their own Board and they made their own decisions on matters such as that. He suggested that Mr. Maki attend a Library Board meeting if he wanted an explanation on their advertising policies.

Maki said he planned on attending the next Library Board meeting and then he would ask them to also consider measuring the Memorial Building to see if moving the Library there was feasible.