Approximately 75 people, many agitated and angry, crammed into a small conference room and two overflow rooms to vent their opinions Monday night at the Brookfield Public Library as the library board held a two-hour public hearing concerning its planned purchase of a home at 3507 Arden Ave.
The purchase, which is scheduled to close at the end of this month, is the first of what the library hopes is a series of purchases of up to five private homes in the Hollywood section of Brookfield. The library is planning on eventually tearing down the homes it buys and building a new library to replace its current cramped quarters at 3609 Grand Blvd.
Most of the crowd at the hearing spoke out against the plan, and some expressed outrage that the library board did not consult with the public more before signing an intent to purchase agreement to buy the home at 3507 Arden Ave. for $400,000.
Many complained that the board had already made up its mind. The public hearing was required by law to be held before the purchase of any property.
“You have already made up your mind, and you don’t give a damn,” said Hollywood resident Frank Drazan.
Others agreed with that comment.
“I think it is audacious of the board to purchase the property without the approval of the voters,” said Barb Krueger, one of many who expressed that sentiment at the sometimes loud and contentious meeting.
Some asked why the board would want to purchase homes in the most expensive section of Brookfield.
“We don’t have to buy a house in the most expensive part of Brookfield to build a library,” said Michelle Huedepohl. “I’m disgusted that they went ahead with these plans.”
A few people spoke in support of the plans of the library board.
“We have one of the worst libraries I have seen in my entire life,” said Jennifer Perry. “I’m proud of this library board to actually take an innovative step to address this problem.”
The current library, built in 1985, is too small, does not have adequate meeting space, and does not have adequate parking Jonathan Platt, the president of the Library Board of Trustees told the crowd.
The largest meeting room at the library has a capacity of only 32 people, a number that was exceeded Monday night. The library does not comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), lacks study rooms, doesn’t have enough computer work stations, and has only 10 parking spaces, Platt said.
“I grew up in this area, and I only came to this library a handful of times because it didn’t have the materials,” said Ariel Steffens.
The library board maintains it needs a new building because the foundation of the current building is not strong enough to support another floor.
“When this library was built it wasn’t built to last for 50 years,” said board Vice President Margaret Blasage. “It’s only a million dollar building. We’re trying to keep up with what people want and need in these libraries.”
But a few people thought the current library was adequate and saw no need for a new building.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” said Ronald Sowa. “I like the library. It doesn’t look overloaded to me.”
Some suggested various alternative locations for a new library, including the now defunct Paw restaurant at the corner of Brookfield and Hollywood avenues, the now empty Church of the Nazarene church at 4301 Prairie Ave. across the street from Ehlert Park and a few other locations.
Platt said that the library board is still keeping its options open, although he said that the board has a contract pending to buy another house in Hollywood.
Platt agreed that a more central location would be ideal.
“If we could do it in a central location that was financially feasible, we’d do it in a minute,” said Platt. “It comes down to what’s available in a limited space landlocked village.”
The library has a $2 million dollar line of credit from the First National Bank of Brookfield that it can draw upon to finance its purchases, or it can use reserve funds for the first purchase. It plans on renting out the homes it buys until it can mass the necessary land to build a new building.
If the library cannot amass the land to build a new library at its preferred location on Arden, it can always sell the homes it purchases, Blasage said.
“What we’ve done is give ourselves an option,” said Blasage. “Maybe we’ll find a better option.”
But Platt said that the board has looked at a lot of options already.
“People in their anger have trouble in accepting the fact of how much work we put into looking around,” said Platt. “We put a tremendous amount of time looking around.”
Platt said that he understood that some people felt the board should have let people know earlier of its plans, but said that public disclosure is not easy to do when discussing real estate transactions.
“We had to think about what we needed to do if we were to develop the library,” said Platt. “I definitely understand why people wanted and felt let down that we didn’t consult first. On the other hand that’s not how a development person works.”
Platt repeated Monday that the library is seeking members for a new Library Advisory Committee of citizens, which will advise the library board on plans for the library’s future.
Blasage said that the board will soon move to purchase a second home in Hollywood. But she maintained that the board still has an open mind and is willing to look at other options for a new library.
“We are welcoming suggestions,” said Blasage. “If there are pieces of property that you think we should consider, please tell us.”
