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RESOLUTION R-1516-77: A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, DIRECTING THAT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY DESIGN PROCESS MOVE FORWARD UTILIZING A 7.29 ACRE SITE LOCATED NORTH OF ACRES STREET AND WEST OF JAMES GARNER STREET AND ELIMINATING FROM FURTHER CONSIDERATION THE CO-LOCATION OF A SENIOR CITIZENS CENTER ON THE CENTRAL LIBRARY SITE.
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BACKGROUND: The City Council adopted Ordinance O-1516-5 on 11th day of August, 2015 which levied, effective January 1, 2016, a one-half (½) percent sales tax on all taxable sales in the City of Norman for a period of fifteen (15) years, (the “NFST”) in order to provide a source of funding for certain enumerated Quality of Life projects. The voters of the City of Norman approved Ordinance O-1516-5 at a Special Election called for that purpose held on October 13, 2015. Ordinance O-1516-5 provides for projects that can be funded from the NFST, which includes:
a. “make improvements to the Library system including acquire a site for, construct, and equip a Central Library; construct, and equip an East Branch Library on East Alameda Street;
b. to construct and to equip a Senior Center through renovation of an existing facility or construction of a new free standing facility at a location to be determined by Council, after consideration of the desires of Norman citizens who would likely use the facility, functionality of proposed facility, and feasibility including how to accomplish other voter authorized municipal complex improvements:
i. To be funded from proceeds that can be generated from the sale of General Obligation Bonds authorized by voters in 2008, or from revenues generated from the Norman Forward Quality of Life Projects Sales Tax of 2015, and
ii. To be located in the vicinity of Andrews Park or another site shown to be reasonably available for this purpose.”; and
As Council has moved forward with the Central and East Branch library projects, a question of whether to locate the Senior Citizen Center on the site that has been selected for the new Central Library has come to the forefront for discussion. To date, there have been (6) potential sites for the Senior Citizens Center location identified as “Option EL” (existing library), “Option AP” (eastern edge of Andrews Park), “Option L1” (conjoined with new library), “Option L2” (north on new library site), “Option L3” (west on new library site), “Option L4” (apartment complex site west of new library site).
On December 22, 2015, City Council appointed Norman citizens to serve on the NFST Citizens Financial Oversight Board (“CFOB”), Norman citizens to serve on the NFST East and Central Libraries ad hoc Advisory Group (“ECLAG”), Norman citizens to serve on the NFST Senior Citizen Center ad hoc Advisory Group (“SCCAG”); and Norman citizens to serve on the Westwood ad hoc Advisory Group (“WAG”). At its January 5, 2016, Study Session the City Council received a report from Meyer, Scherer, & Rockcastle, LTD (“MSR”), consultants for the new Central Library Project, and the McKinney Partnership (“TMP”) that provided analysis of the six Senior Citizen Center location Options EL, AP, L1, L2, L3, and L4, which recommended that L1, L2, and L3 be eliminated from further consideration, and that location Options EL, AP, and L4 receive further evaluation and consideration.
The CFOB met on January 11, 2016 and considered the Senior Citizen Center location options and approved the MSR recommendation allowing the new Central Library Project to move forward in a timely manner while Option EL, AP and L4 are further evaluated and considered. The SCCAG met on January 14, 2016 and considered the Senior Center location options and approved the MSR recommendation allowing the new Central Library Project to move forward in a timely manner while Option EL, AP and L4 are further evaluated and considered.
The City Council considered the recommendations of the CFOB and the SCCAG at its Study Session held on January 19, 2016 regarding the MSR recommendation allowing the new Central Library Project to move forward in a timely manner while Option EL, AP and L4 are further evaluated and considered. At that Study Session, Council requested that a Resolution be prepared for inclusion in the January 26, 2016 Agenda to formally take action on the recommendation from MSR.
DISCUSSION: Resolution R-1516-77 incorporates the Council’s comments regarding the recommendation from MSR regarding the six library site options analyzed. Council consensus appeared to be that it was both timely and appropriate to move forward with the new Central Library Project as set out in Ordinance O-1516-5. Consistent with the recommendation from the CFOB and the SCCAG, Council appeared to reach consensus that the location of a new Senior Center through either the renovation of an existing facility (EL) or construction of a new free standing facility at locations (AP) or (L4), should continue to be explored. The criteria for considering Senior Citizen Center locations as outlined in Ordinance O-1516-5 was also discussed: consider the desires of Norman citizens who would likely use the facility, functionality of proposed facility, and feasibility including how to accomplish other voter authorized municipal complex improvements, accessibility of proceeds that can be generated from the sale of General Obligation Bonds authorized by voters in 2008, or from revenues generated from the Norman Forward Quality of Life Projects Sales Tax of 2015, to be located in the vicinity of Andrews Park or another site shown to be reasonably available for this purpose.
RECOMMENDATION: Resolution R-1516-77 is presented for Council’s consideration providing that the Senior Citizen Center location options (EL) through the renovation of an existing facility or (AP) or (L4) through construction of a new free standing facility at those locations should continue to be explored, while options L1, L2, and L3 be eliminated from further consideration as recommended by MSR allowing the new Central Library Project to move forward in a timely manner while Option EL, AP and L4 are further evaluated and considered. Upon Council’s adoption of Resolution R-1516-77, MSR will be formally notified by the City Manager of Council’s direction on this issue and to move forward with the Central Library design accordingly.