It’s been four years since the Kokomo-Howard County Library board started planning for a new library in downtown Kokomo, and Monday, board members blamed “outside issues and political tensions” for thwarting progress on the project.

In an about-face from discussions over the last two years, the board voted to rethink its commitment to building a new, 89,000 square foot library downtown, and to consider the possibility of expanding the Russiaville and South branches instead.

The board also agreed to give an Indianapolis development firm six months to line up a possible “urban mall” concept for the downtown area, with the library a possible tenant.

The two moves come after the board’s purchase of additional acreage adjacent to the South Branch, along Center Road.

“We felt like we came to a stalemate, to where we’re not going anyplace,” board president Susan Luttrell said Monday. “We don’t feel we’re getting the support we need.”

Instead of continuing attempts to purchase the Button Motors property just north of Kokomo City Hall, the board will instead hire architect Mike Montgomery to perform a two-month analysis of the library system.

Montgomery said his mission will be to create a master plan which details what might be the appropriate size for each of the three buildings — the main library and the two branches. The study will cost $12,000.

Three years ago, Montgomery said, the library board was given several options, but chose to move forward with an 89,000-square-foot new building.

But objections from local leaders and downtown advocates killed plans to place the new building just to the north of Foster Park, and the board was then forced to consider alternative locations.

Kokomo Mayor Matt McKillip has been an advocate of locating a new library at the Button Motors site, but talks in that direction apparently haven’t progressed as some library board members might have hoped.

On Nov. 13, the Kokomo Common Council voted unanimously to seek an appraisal of the property, but Luttrell said that wasn’t done on behalf of the library board.

Among the library board’s concern about the Button site are both the price asked for the land and the potential cost of remediating any environmental issues which might exist.

Many of the parcels around and near the Button site are either owned or represented by Scott Pitcher, a local developer under contract with the city administration.

“Downtown land is expensive,” Luttrell said.

With that thought in mind, the board voted to work with Indianapolis-based developers Prince/Alexander Partners Inc. on a possible urban mall concept for downtown.

The group won’t be paid by the board, but now has assurance that the board won’t pursue any other project within a six-month time frame.

In upcoming months, lead developer Steve Alexander and local businessman Jeff Carney are hoping to line up potential partners for a deal that would meld downtown greenspace with the library and the YMCA as anchor tenants.

“The underlying objective is to assemble all of the assets downtown into a package, sprinkle vision over it, and work like madmen to get it done within the time frame we have,” Alexander said Monday.

Montgomery said after four years, it was probably time for the board to rethink its building plans, especially considering the increases in circulation and foot traffic seen at the two branch libraries.

Over the past four years, traffic has increased by 54 percent at the South Branch, 32 percent at Russiaville, and 6 percent at the main library.

Without assessing individual blame, Luttrell said it has simply been difficult to get all of the local stakeholders to work off the same page.

“I don’t think it’s the board that’s been the issue, it’s been the frustration in trying to get answers and trying to get the players together to get the answers,” she said.

Scott Smith may be reached at (765) 454-8569 or via e-mail at scott.smith@kokomotribune.com



Library board president Susan Luttrell’s public statement on the main library building project:

On behalf of the library board, I would like to make a public statement concerning our building project.

It has been over four years since we began the process of planning for a new library in downtown Kokomo. From the beginning, we have been increasingly frustrated and thwarted in our efforts by various outside issues and political tensions which have kept us from reaching our goals.

We hope with the two measures we have taken tonight that we can begin to create some new perspective and possibilities for future library services. It is believed that a complete system study will more adequately update our needs after a four-year delay. And there is also the hope that perhaps a third party developer can bring about that which we as a board were unable to do.

We have appreciated the public’s patience and continue to pledge our best effort in bringing quality library services to Howard County.