I obtained a copy of the original 1997 contract between the City of Glendale and Midwestern University. Nowhere in the document does it say the city must sell the land to Midwestern as a result of Midwestern’s offer to buy.
In 1997 the city used its Capital Improvement Fund to purchase 3.5 acres for $434,508.15 plus closing costs. I suspect the value of the land has probably doubled over the past 18 years with all of the development of the adjacent area. It is offering $5 million for the land and building.The agreement includes the following stipulations:
- Should the city stop using the building as a library or wishes to sell the land and building Midwestern can exercise its first option within 120 days to buy the property and building at fair market value.
- The city must build and operate a library on the site and for no other purpose.
- The exterior landscaping must match that of Midwestern University and Midwestern was granted the right to review and approve/disapprove the design plan.
- Midwestern has the right to use the library’s meeting rooms and auditorium without charge and will be provided a separate and private entrance.
What is clear is that Midwestern approached the city with an offer to buy the building and the land. This proposal was not a city initiative. The city does not have to sell to Midwestern. It can continue to operate the library on the property as long as it wishes.
Senior staff, for some unfathomable reason, is trying to put lipstick on this pig in order to sell the idea to the city council and the general public.
Since senior staff seems incapable of saying, “Hell no, we won’t go,” it will be up the citizens of Glendale to make clear that this is an idea that’s dead on arrival.
It is also the perfect time to tell the mayor and city council that as city finances improve, your priority to to restore days and hours to the libraries; to restore the cuts made to the city’s recreational programs; and to focus on the promised construction of the West Branch Library to serve over 30% of Glendale’s population that does not have the same convenient access to a Glendale library as do residents of Glendale’s other districts. Make your voices heard. Glendale’s elected officials occasionally need to be reminded that they represent you.
© Joyce Clark, 2015
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Joyce,
Thank you for putting that contract out there for all to see.
I am sure the people ‘trying to put lipstick on this pig’ are past that.
I have a feeling the pig is already wearing lipstick and about to wear a tutu.
Is there an official document filed with Glendale which contains Midwestern’s Intent to Purchase? Obviously Midwestern would have made its offer official and in writing. Who paid for the Appraisals? Is it possible that the Glendale City Manager, who has recommended selling assets in order to reduce Glendale’s debt, went to Midwestern with a proposal about purchasing this building and property and opened this can of worms? I believe there are many unanswered questions which Senior Staff seems to be avoiding. Yes – our neighborhood will be fighting to save our library. This affects more than just the Sahuaro/Cholla Districts because we are on the border of the City of Phoenix and they use the Library under Glendale’s reciprocal agreement mentioned at the Council Workshop on Tuesday. Guess it is time to get signatures on Petitions against this outrageous proposal by Senior Staff.
I do not know if there is a written document reflecting Midwestern’s offer to buy. If so, it would not be a public document at this stage. I do not know who paid for the two appraisals in March and July of 2014. My assumption only, is that first was Midwestern’s and second was city’s. But I have no facts to verify my assumption. I have heard, but cannot confirm, that senior staff started all of this by going to Midwestern. Again, I have no facts for this rumor.
Joyce, thanks for posting this! I was actually going to Request through City Clerks office for a copy of the contract! I did not remember what Michael Bailey, City Attorney, was saying and it did not seem correct to me! However, I did not have the contract. I was at a meeting today and an individual brought up an excellent point and, that is, the bond for the library was authorized by the voters to build Foothills Branch Library. so what are the legal ramifications if we sell? Voter approval? Another issue that I brought up today is that it is being touted that the library will have 9100 sq ft at the Foothills Aquatics and Recreation Center, that is extremely misleading information in that the Library is slated to use the Coyote Room which is 3,000 sq ft, the kitchen area the library will have access to is 500 sq ft and the Activity Room where the pool tables are located is 2700 sq ft (however, because the walls are rounded that is unusable space) the remainder of the space is the meeting rooms located upstairs which is shared between Parks and Rec and not solely devoted to the Library. In essence the City is being marginalized. I laugh out loud when told they are expanding services. How utterly stupid do you think the citizens of Glendale are?? It would be a shame if the old adage “if the lips are moving, then you’re lying” is applicable. If it is true that Senior Management initiated this, they all need to be fired. And, that is an IF, I do not know. I have always heard that this was a proposal brought forth by Midwestern University via a letter. What happened before the letter I do not know. Unfortunately, the City has proved over and over again they cannot be trusted. It makes me sad as a resident of Glendale, advocating and working for libraries, that you always need to check what is being said on all issues. Citizens really need to get involved.
And, Connie, you are right this is a City wide issue not just Cholla District. What will be next??
Sue, With your permission I may use some of the square footage facts you cited in another blog. It is a city wide issue. I believe Michele Tennyson (Cholla district) is working with others to get an online petition going. As soon as it is available I will post the info on my blog. The city’s libraries and parks have been marginalized…they are last in the financial pecking order yet they deliver more service to Glendale residents than nearly anything else (except for our Enterprise groups–water, sewer and sanitation). It’s time the residents of Glendale expressed their priorities.
Sure Joyce!
Thanks for your extremely useful posts regarding this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea.
This would be like closing down a community’s full-service grocery store and replacing it with a Circle K.
The “electronic media” stuff they’re trying to promote is already available from the current library, with the exception of the 3-D printer. (That last sounds like a “MakerSpace”, a growing trend and a great idea, but one that belongs in a separate facility, not jammed into a library’s space.) And I’ve never used the library’s facilities to download a book or audiobook; I always use my home PC or smartphone; the proposed increase in terminals at the new location is likely excessive.)
Speaking of which, downsizing the book selection disadvantages poorer folk who can’t afford the electronic devices to access those media. (Home computers may seem omnipresent, but I believe something like 20% of homes still don’t have one.)
If the Coyote Room is 3,000 square feet, I don’t see any way to fit the supposed 35,000 remaining books into it. The conceptual drawings seem to show over half the room used for terminals and other non-shelving use. They also show only waist-high shelving being used. I estimate the shelving shown in the conceptual drawings would only hold about 10,000 books at most. (My wife and I have about an 8,000 book collection of our own; I have an idea how much space that many books would need.)
People who still want a real library will have to go to the Main Library. (I would be one of them.) One of the main reasons I go to Foothills rather than Main is because parking at Main is frequently difficult, and the checkout lines tend to be a LOT longer. The downsizing of Foothills will make those problems at Main even worse. It will also mean more people driving more miles, using more time and spending more gas money.
The “senior staff” (am I correct in assuming this is City Hall staff and not senior Library staff? WTF, if the latter) who support this apparently want to make absolutely sure Glendale is considered a second-rate city,
I am HOPING that this is not what it smells like, a done deal, handshake-under-the-table agreement between the city and MWU that’s going to go through despite any amount of public protest. I’ll be at the Wednesday meeting, with copies of a long list of questions and concerns.
I also believe the expansion of terminals is excessive. I use them occasionally to access ancestry.com which can only be done on a library terminal. I never have to wait to use a computer even if a couple of them are out of service.
These posts are very helpful. I also have an extensive list of questions developed after attending last night’s meeting. I first wanted to get a sense of what was being presented. I am curious as to whether MWU understands how this proposal (and clearly any implementation of it) affects their perception by the surrounding community. Who there even knows about it?
I have already wondered about the library hours going back to where they were. Many, many years ago, the library’s hours were cut and then brought back. I was hopeful that this would be the case again soon, so to hear about this ridiculous proposal on the news (and not by the city, mind you) was extremely upsetting. I will be organizing my notes to highlight key questions that haven’t yet been posed. Thanks for this forum for some discussion.
CG,
I still can’t figure out how increasing the hours at Foothills benefits us when there will be almost nothing there to check out and probably fewer meetings/classes/programs because they’ll have to share space with classes, etc that FRAC runs. I guess you might get some people enjoying a 3D printer in the longer hours but that’s about it. And the kids who can’t afford ereaders are the ones who won’t be able to afford to buy the material you put in a 3D printer to make items.
The new library head did show me the proposed longer hours after Monday’s meeting. They were all additional hours in the morning (I think opening at 10 every day, but I’m not positive) and opening on Thursday all day until 8. For me only the Thursday evening hours would be available because of my work schedule.
There’s also the question of time used by 3-D printers. Unless you’re making very small pieces, they tend to take a lot of time. The bigger machines are -very- expensive. The employer where I do security work uses 3-D printers to craft prototypes. The engineers start it going before leaving work, and the machines are usually still running when I do a building check around midnight. Is something that can only be used by a few people per day a worthwhile investment? (And as I said elsewhere, a “MakerSpace” really should be in a separate facility, or at least in a room all its own.