Last modified: Friday, February 20, 2009 10:50 AM PST Library board wants building for free By Katie Pizza Argus Observer Ontario — The Ontario Public Library District endorsed a letter to the Ontario City Council at its meeting Wednesday night regarding the future of the city-owned library building. At a special meeting Jan. 22, the council decided to create a contract to charge the library $5,000 a month for use of the building and agreed to pay half of the cost for replacing the elevator in the facility and the heating and cooling systems should the need arise. This rental agreement would last 10 years if approved by the library board and is slated to be reviewed every eight years. City officials have repeatedly said this proposal is an initial offer and is by no means set in stone. The response letter, composed by Ontario City Public Library District Donnaclaire Blankinship, requested the City of Ontario gift the library building to the newly-formed district. It was signed by Blankinship, Ontario Public Library District Board member Amy Couture and Ontario Public Library District Board member Sharon Jones. “As we all realize, the building at the center of this discussion cannot be used for anything other than a library, which relieves the city of any other use, or commercial value,” Blankinship said as she read her letter into the record.  In the letter, Blankinship also referred to another letter, this one written by Oregon State Librarian Jim Scheppke, who recommended the city gift the building to the Ontario City Public Library District. Ontario Public Library District Board Budget Committee Chairman Paul Erlebach presented the letter to the City Council at its work session Feb. 12. The state librarian letter also stated the City of Ontario assured the state library  the library building would not function as anything else but a library in exchange for a $180,000 grant using Federal Library Services and Construction Act funds in December 1966. The money, which totaled 45 percent of the cost of the $400,000 project, was furnished with an assurance from the City of Ontario it would be used to construct a facility that will continue to be devoted to public library purposes until such time as it is replaced by a new facility. “Given this assurance, it would appear that the building needs to continue to be used as a public library, unless a different facility were to be built or leased for the Ontario Library District,” Scheppke said in the letter. “We also have the verbal opinion of the State of Oregon Attorney General, who concurs with Mr. Scheppke,” Blankinship read. Blankinship requested a quick closure to the issue, which would allow the library district to move forward with its June 30 deadlines. The board also discussed a planned public forum, which is slated to involve the City of Ontario and the Ontario City Public Library District. At the Ontario City Council meeting Tuesday night, Ontario City Recorder Tori Barnett asked Ontario Mayor Joe Dominick if he had any specific date for the meeting planned. Dominick replied he and other council members would have to consult their schedules. Dominick also said Tuesday night that the public forum should occur within the next two weeks. After the Ontario City Public Library District meeting, board members said they planned to attend this meeting. “We’ll be there with bells on,” Jones said. Erlebach said he believed the meeting would be a good one.