City of Oregon City - File #: 13-413

• File #: 13-413
• Version: 1
• Name: Resolution No. 13-21, Library Designation
• Type: Resolution
• Status: Agenda Ready
• File created: 6/12/2013
• In control: City Commission
• On agenda: 6/19/2013
• Final action: 6/19/2013
• Title: Resolution No. 13-21, Declaring that the Carnegie Library Park and Carnegie Building be Designated for Future Expansion of the Oregon City Public Library
• Sponsors: Maureen Cole
• Indexes: Goal 2: Address Critical Facility Needs.

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
6/19/2013	1	City Commission	approve	Pass

Title
Resolution No. 13-21, Declaring that the Carnegie Library Park and Carnegie Building be Designated for Future Expansion of the Oregon City Public Library

Body
RECOMMENDED ACTION (Motion):
Staff recommends that the City Commission designate Carnegie Library Park and Building as the preferred site for Library expansion and authorize the City Manager to take all reasonable steps to pursue this objective.

BACKGROUND:
The Oregon City Public Library (OCPL or the Library) has been a function of the City since 1909. The Carnegie Building officially opened for business on June 21, 1913, and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. OCPL lived happily in the Carnegie for several years, but at as early as the late 1940s Librarian Gertrude Brumbaugh began reporting a lack of space to the Library Board. Finally, in 1995 OCPL moved to leased space in Danielson’s Hilltop Mall, where it was located for 15 years. At this site, OCPL had 13,000 square feet, over twice what the Carnegie Building offered. However, it was poorly lighted, had poor acoustics, and had only one window in the entire building. As funding dried up, the collection slowly deteriorated and at one point, the Library was open only 23 hours a week.

Then, in 2008, a county service district (District) was created and approved by voters; this provided an ongoing means of supporting all of the libraries in Clackamas County. In this same formation, Clackamas County agreed to fund each city $1M for library capital improvements. The District formation enabled the City of Oregon City to fill the Library Director position for the first time in several years, and the Library once again became its own City department. With the District funds, which can be used for any library purpose, and the $1M promised by the County, Oregon City was in a position to improve services and consider expansion for the first time in many years. Maureen Cole was hired with those tasks in mind. Shortly after that hire, OCPL lost...