| Below are the first publicly available meetings regarding the proposal to sell Foothills Library to Midwestern University and to relocate the library within the Foothills Recreation and Aquatic Center. Each meeting agenda consists of a presentation on the proposal.Citizen comment is welcome. Simply fill out a Comment Card and you will be called upon to speak.
Monday, February 9 at 6 p.m.: Public Meeting – Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission Location: Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center, 5600 W. Union Hills Dr., Coyote Room Click here to download the agenda. |
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Wednesday, February 11 at 6 p.m.: Regular Library Advisory Board Meeting Location: Foothills Branch Library, 19055 N. 57th Ave., Roadrunner Room Click here to download the agenda. |
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Thursday, February 12 at 6 p.m.: Public Meeting – Glendale Arts Commission Location: Glendale Adult Center, 5970 W. Brown St., Room 108 Click here to download the agenda. |
February 9th meeting still at Foothills Recreation but moved to Coyote room.
Thanks…made the change to Coyote Room.
Joyce, I want to thank you so much for your reporting about the sale of the Foothills Branch Library. There are so many things that are just wrong with this potential sale: financially and ethically.
Since your posts have covered the services, it would be great to shine some more light on the offer of $5 million from Midwestern based on appraisals. Where could these appraisals possibly come from? What is the true cost of the library and the holdings? One only has to look at what our neighbor Peoria just invested in the Sunrise Library. One document available on the web places the construction of the Sunrise building at over $8 million. This figure did not seem to include the land, the catalog, or the art, not to mention that the building in Peoria is only 22k square feet opposed to the Foothills Branch Library at 33k. Midwestern University knows full well the true cost of the buildings. Was the appraisal based on the cost of Midwestern’s new builds square footage costs? A quick look through Midwestern’s IRS 990 form (registered as a State of Illinois non-profit) is pretty revealing of just how much money this little non-profit has. Why insult us tax payers with a low ball offer, the library is far from being excess property no longer needed by us citizens? It seems that based on the cost of building similar buildings (Sunrise Mountain, Midwestern’s own new buildings, and the FRAC) that the replacement value of the building and the land would be upwards of $10 million. How could a reasonable city government even take this $5mil offer with any seriousness not to mention the loss of services to us as citizens? According to newspaper archives, Glendale gave Midwestern $700,000 in incentives to the university when the university moved to Glendale and now the council is even entertaining losing no less than $2 million from the cost to build the library?
I have read other people ask about the authority of the city to sell the art. It does seem that the city would have to conduct quite a bit of legal research under the Visual Artist Rights Act which of course is more money wasted on legal costs. Our city has wasted way too much money on lawyers.
As a resident of Northern Glendale, I really question why people continue to call Midwestern University a “good neighbor”. What is that based on, building fences? My four children attended Deer Valley Schools from 1997 through 2013 and not once did they report having a member of the university or a student of the university come to the school. Yes, the campus has been a field trip for honors biology students, but not to be too cynical it was little more than a marketing visit, which is okay. But having shopped at the grocery stores at 59th Ave and 101 for 17 years, not once have I seen even a table offering a high blood pressure screening or any type of service. Why now with an offer of to purchase our beautiful building at fire sale prices are they all of a sudden willing to provide community services? Why have they not been providing these services all along?
Listening to the council workshop on Feb 3rd, was anyone else offended that a Glendale City official would really tell Glendale tax payers to mooch off of Peoria tax payers by using the services of the Sunrise Mountain library? As a resident, I am frankly embarrassed that an official of our city would suggest this. Glendale city employees should be advocating for Glendale services not promoting how great Peoria services would be for Glendale residents.
Thank you again for your tireless reporting.
I agree! If Peoria services are so great, maybe I should move and give my taxpayer dollars to Peoria, and NOT Glendale, for their services?
I’ve been thinking about this myself – Glendale charges higher sales taxes and much higher utility rates that just about any other valley city. I’m getting tired of paying more and getting less. The sale of the Foothills Library will be the straw that breaks this camel’s back. If others feel the same as I do, it doesn’t bode well for the future of Glendale.
Thank you for your post Doug! You are right on target! Just out of curiosity who paid for the so called appraisals on the Art work at Foothills??? Where did the money come from? Who paid for those renderings in presentation?
I’m curious, Doug, who was the Glendale City official who suggested that the Glendale citizens/tax payers go to Peoria’s Sunrise Mountain Library to use their services?
I’m totally amazed (and shaking my head) that this person would have the audacity to make such a comment!
It was Mr. Beck, Glendale’s new Library Director. Also one of the commentators on this blog mentioned that he/she goes to the Peoria library.
Did anyone attend tonight’s meeting on Foothills library? Please share.
I attended tonight’s meeting. Standing room only! The Parks & Recreation Commissioners asked very, very good questions and comments from the citizens were excellent! There was not one comment in support of the concerning the sale or moving the library!
Hi Doug,
Some of the community outreach you may have missed include the Community Health Lecture series at Foothills monthly, free dental sealants for the community annually, Cuts 4 Kidz event, blood drives, Holiday concerts, Easter egg hunts, HOME, Bright Lights event for scholarships, Health Careers for HS students camp, among others. Let alone the affordable health care services offered at their various clinics. Contact them, they’ll be happy to fill you in on something you and your family may enjoy.
Jay – thank you for listing these programs. Let me tell you as an area resident, one that can walk to the campus from my home, the university needs some enhanced outreach techniques. My HOA has a quarterly newsletter, I have never once read about what your university is doing in the newsletter. I get a mail piece or a door hanger periodically from the local community agencies and churches with a listing of all of the things they are doing in the community inviting me and my family to participate, I have not gotten even one such piece from the university. I do hope that all of the local youth come out to your Easter Egg Roll and youth with 10 inch or longer hair line up around the block to get free haircuts for a good cause.
Please note that the library is a daily community service free of charge to children, seniors, vets, and even us plain adults every day. Even the students at the university lose an incredible community resource by not having the Glendale Foothills Branch Library as a full functioning library. You may not be aware, but it seems that many of the Midwestern University students use the library as it exist today, and we local residents hope they continue to feel welcomed to do so in the future.
Rumor has it that residents of Glendale don’t think much of Midwestern University & their attempted coup! They don’t think much of them trying to loot the City!
It’s ok that you don’t want Midwestern to buy the library. Residents have every reason to have an opinion about it. However, do you really think making an offer should be characterized as a coup or trying to loot the city? We (well some of us) voted for our representation and they hold the final say as to whether the offer is good or bad for the city. Contact them, let them know your priorities.
I can’t add much to what the others have said in their comments, except to say since I heard about this proposed purchase of our beautiful Foothills Library by MWU I’ve been very upset.
From where I’m standing I can see that the only winner in this “deal” would be Midwestern, and the “big losers” would be the people of the City of Glendale.
I can’t believe that the Mayor and the City Council would even consider the offer! They should have told MWU to take their offer and go home. MWU is spending millions upon millions of dollars building new structures for their ever expanding programs, so they can spend some more of their millions on another building to house a new library of their own, and leave Foothills to those of us who have been using it since it opened its doors!
I plan to write to the Mayor and all the members of the City Council very soon to express my feelings on this critical matter. I hope they don’t let the 5 million dollar signs blind them to the fact that they were elected to represent the people of this city, and not the power hungry administration of Midwestern University.
One last note: Am I mistaken, or does it seem the meeting to discuss this purchase is purposely being re-scheduled so as to confuse the people about the date and time?
If I’m not sure if/when the meeting is being held, how can I plan to attend?
Everyone is of course welcome to an opinion of whether the sale of the library is beneficial to Glendale residents, but those making unfounded allegations against Midwestern University are clearly oblivious to the important contributions they consistently make to our community. I’m surprised you’ve offered no counter, Joyce. Surely you’re aware of the benefits of having a graduate level school in our hometown.
While Midwestern University is an institution within the Glendale community of which we can be proud, in this case, it’s desire to acquire one of only three Glendale libraries is very disappointing.
You may be right, Joyce. But we haven’t seen the details yet. I hardly see the reason to vilify Midwestern with baseless accusations just to “enhance” one’s argument against the proposal. It would be one thing if Midwestern had a team of lawyers strong-arming the city into compliance of their desires, but they simply made an offer. The city can simply refuse if that is what they feel is best for the city.
I applaud those that attend these upcoming public meetings and let their voices be heard, but let’s please attempt to keep our discourse civil and factual instead of the “drive by” accusations that have no basis in truth. There are plenty of reasonable arguments to be made without resorting to fictional narratives.
I also appreciate you posting dissenting opinions, Joyce. You could easily ignore them if you only wanted to further your personal agenda and have your blog be an echo-chamber of like mindedness.
@ Jay
I don’t see anyone here vilifying Midwestern with baseless accusations, nor do I read anything in this blog that I would consider “uncivil”.
In my opinion, the posts thus far have been sincere and intelligent.
Whereas we haven’t seen the details of the proposal, we do know for a fact that moving the Foothills Branch Library from a stand alone building of 33,500 square feet to an area in the Foothills Recreation and Aquatic Center (FRAC), which involves approximately 9,000 square feet, is virtually impossible.
To get an idea of what the “relocated” Library will look like at the FRAC, go to to this link:
http://www.glendaleaz.com/Library/documents/ConceptualDrawingsOnlywithtext.pdf
It doesn’t look like an improvement or a “great thing” for the citizens/taxpayers of Glendale.
Our Foothills Branch Library, as we know it, will cease to exist!
I do not feel that Midwestern is being vilified. There is no doubt that the university is a fine institution, and I am glad that it is in Glendale. I would, however, point out that so far the city has only presented the positives of this whole proposal. Calling this an “expansion of library services” is witness to the very biased presentation by city administration to the public. Why haven’t Midwestern officials come forward at the meetings held so far (City Council workshop and Parks and Recreation Commission meeting) to present the offer to the public? Why does city staff continue to act as salesmen for this proposal that will do anything except devalue library services and cause Glendale to be a laughing stock for selling the beautiful library and its artwork?
That’s a fair request. I would like to hear from Midwestern about the proposal as well.
Jay, what is the unfounded accusation against Midwestern? Please don’t misunderstand my appreciation for the financial value that Midwestern University has brought to our little corner of Glendale. I understand that the college students pay rent (albeit less now that the university has seen the value of residential property and has now opened up lots of new dorms), the students buy food, and purchase gas which all creates sales tax. I appreciate the opportunity of students to gain an education in a great and growing field. I take out of town guest right by Midwestern with glee to show off one of the most valued pieces of art in Glendale: the Chihuly at the library. Midwestern University has plenty of cash to build their own building on the plenty of land that they own, they simply do not need another “tax payer” windfall of purchasing our library at garage sale prices. I think it is great that Glendale boasts Midwestern, Glendale Community College, ASU West, and Thunderbird; this places Glendale with an unusually high college to citizen ratio – bravo – but hands off our library.
The comment I was referring to was in Joyce’s first blog on the subject found here:
https://joyceclarkunfiltered.com/love-your-library-work-to-save-it/
That poster seems to have left it at that and moved on.
As I’ve mentioned, I applaud all citizens for getting involved and speaking up for things that are important to you and your loved ones. I’m reserving my judgement on the library purchase until I see all the details, but I have no problem with honest debate and differing opinions.