Library future shrouded in mystery
Officials decline to comment on subject

By Katie Pizza
Argus Observer
Thursday, March 19, 2009 1:09 PM PDT

Librarian Dorreen Jones sorts books at the City of Ontario-owned library building in this file photo. Ontario Mayor Joe Dominick, Ontario Public Library District Board Chair Donnaclaire Blankinship and lawyers from both sides met earlier this week to discuss the building’s future.

Ontario — When it comes to the ongoing Ontario Library and City of Ontario saga, “mums” the word.

That’s because neither city officials or members of the newly-formed library district board representatives are saying much about the subject.

At issue is whether the newly-formed library district should have to pay rent to the city for use of the existing library building.

City officials appear committed to working out some kind of payment plan, while library district leaders have submitted requests to the city detailing a belief the building should be gifted to them. Some city officials called the building an asset and said it should be treated as such, but district leaders assert a large amount of rent will damage their budget and prevent them from providing services such as increased hours promised prior to the November election.

Ontario Mayor Joe Dominick said he met Monday at the Ontario City Hall with Ontario Public Library District Board Chair Donnaclaire Blankinship, as well as Ontario City Attorney Larry Sullivan and Bob Butler, attorney for the newly-formed library district.

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“I called and invited them down,” Dominick said of the meeting in a phone interview Tuesday. “It was very cordial.”

However, Dominick declined to comment on whether the city or the library district made an offer regarding the building at that meeting.

The building is currently owned by the city and was built through a $220,000 city bond in 1966. The state library board gave the city library a grant for $180,000 with the stipulation the library building would always be used as a library.

At a special meeting Jan. 22, the City Council discussed the creation of what Dominick called an initial offer, an agreement with the library district to pay $5,000 a month to the city in rent costs. Ontario City Council member Norm Crume said this money would go into a separate fund to pay for roof and heating and cooling replacement with the next year’s rent going into the general fund if the first year’s rent money was not used.

At its Feb. 4 meeting, the library district board rejected this offer and instead presented a counter-offer to the city requesting the building be gifted to the newly-formed district based on Oregon State Librarian Jim Scheppke’s recommendations. Library District Board Budget Committee Chairman Paul Erlebach presented a letter from Scheppke with his recommendation to the City Council at its work session Feb. 12.

In Scheppke’s letter, the state librarian said he believed leasing the library would be inconsistent with the assurance the City of Ontario made in 1966 that the building would always be used as a library.

Later, in an Argus Observer story, Scheppke said he was prompted to write the letter because of what he felt was a lack of awareness regarding the 1966 agreement the city made with the state library to secure funds to build the library.

Earlier this month, the city held a public meeting at Four Rivers Cultural Center and allowed those in attendance to voice their opinions on the future of the city-owned building. A majority of more than 150 people in attendance raised their hands indicating they felt the city should gift the building to the library board. However, the vote was not unanimous, with some people voicing their opinions asserting the city should not gift the building.

City officials said the meeting would serve as an opportunity to learn more about what the public thinks. The council then went into executive session recently to discuss the issue.

Where these negotiations stand now is anyone’s guess.

“I’m not in a position to discuss that and I won’t be until we’re farther along in these discussions,” Library District Attorney Bob Butler said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon.

Butler said Ontario City Attorney Larry Sullivan e-mailed him for a timeline on when the library board would be further along in discussions as well. However, Butler would not offer any further details.

“They’re taking a proposal back to their board,” Sullivan said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon.

Sullivan would not comment on whether or not that proposal came from the city.

“I’m not in a position to talk about that,” he said, citing the fact the issue is still under negotiation.

Butler was similarly tight-lipped.

“That’s as much as I’m going to tell you because it’s all up in the air,” he said. Sullivan also could not give a timeframe on when the library issue would be discussed since he said he did not know when the newly-formed board would be meeting next. The library board normally meets on the first Thursday of the month at 5 p.m., however, the board does have the ability to call special meetings.