Questions About Lake Oswego’s Future Library

5 hours ago

6 min read

There seems to be a lot of conflicting information about the past and future planning for Lake Oswego’s library. Rather than make assumptions, I want to ask some questions I’ve heard swirling around and would like the City to answer.

The Big Question:

Before we commit to a major investment, shouldn’t we understand our needs, evaluate the alternatives, and compare the full costs?

Clarifying Questions

1. Have We Fully Explored the Option of Remodeling Our Existing Library and Adding a Small Branch?

My understanding is that library staff presented options to the City Council on two occasions that included remodeling and updating the existing library while adding a branch elsewhere in Lake Oswego. I understand that concerns about the cost of staffing two locations contributed to the Council’s decision not to pursue that approach.

But I have heard many questions about this:

Could a smaller, more limited branch be a viable alternative? For example, could the City lease space on the west side of town with limited staffing, children's story hours, featured book collections, and a convenient place to pick up books ordered from the main library?
Has this smaller-branch option been fully evaluated and costed out? What would it cost to lease, operate, and staff such a space?
How would the total cost compare with building a new library and community center, estimated at around $100 million?

It would be helpful to see the alternatives compared on a consistent basis, including construction, staffing, operations, maintenance, and long-term costs.

2. Who Is Asking for a New Library?

I participate in Lake Oswego’s Neighborhood Associations Chairs Committee, which brings together neighborhood leaders from across the City. I haven’t heard discussion among neighborhood leaders about residents asking for a new library.

That doesn’t mean those residents aren’t out there. But it raises some questions:

Has the City surveyed residents to understand what they want from their library? And linked that to what taxpayers are willing to pay for?
How many residents favor a new building, remodeling the existing library, or some combination of the two?
What specific problems do residents want a new library to solve?

Before deciding what to build, I believe we should establish what our community actually needs. And will pay for. And what tradeoffs they're willing to make for what won't be funded.

3. Who Is Asking for a New Community Center Along With the Library?

A new library and community center could cost around $100 million. But do we need to build a new community center as part of this project?

Lake Oswego already has a number of facilities that host meetings, programs, and events, including our high schools, junior high schools, Lakewood Center, LORAC, the Adult Community Center, Heritage House, the Teen Center, City Hall, and other City-owned spaces.

What additional services and facilities would a new community center provide?
Could some of the events and programs envisioned for the new library take place in existing facilities?

It would be helpful to understand which needs cannot be met with the facilities we already have before we commit taxpayers to constructing more.

4. Why Has the Existing Library Not Been Updated?

My understanding is that the library has accumulated approximately $5 million in funds that have not yet been spent: roughly $3 million associated with annual budget contingency funds that have rolled over, and approximately $2 million in donations from Friends of the Lake Oswego Public Library.

It would be helpful for the City to clarify these figures and explain how these funds can be used.

What repairs and improvements have been deferred, and why?
How much would it cost to address the most urgent repairs and modernize the existing building?
Could available funds be used to begin addressing those needs while the City evaluates longer-term options?
What is preventing the City from moving forward with necessary improvements to the library we already own?

The cost of renovating an existing building is not directly comparable to the cost of constructing a new one unless we understand exactly what each option includes. It would be helpful to see that comparison.

5. Who Uses the Library, What Services Do They Need, and Who Is Not Being Served?

Has the City completed a comprehensive analysis of who uses the library, which services they use, how often they visit, and where they live in Lake Oswego?

Different residents have different needs.

Families may value children's books and story hours.
Readers may want convenient access to physical books rather than waiting several days for an ordered book to become available for pickup.
Digital-library users may want more titles and shorter waits for popular e-books and audiobooks.
Older residents may depend on the library for reading materials, programs, and social connection.

These needs should inform our decisions about the future library.

Which services are most important to current users?
What improvements would make the biggest difference to them?
Who doesn't use the library, and why?
Could better digital services, more convenient book access, outreach, or a small branch serve residents who have difficulty visiting the existing location?

Let's define who we are serving and the services we need before deciding what building to construct.

6. Are Taxpayers Willing to Pay for a New Library and Community Center?

A new library and community center could require a bond of up to $100 million, depending on the final project scope and financing.

That raises a fundamental question: Do Lake Oswego taxpayers value the proposed project enough to support that level of investment?

What has changed since the previous library bond measure failed?
What would the proposed project cost the typical homeowner in additional property taxes?
How would ongoing staffing, operations, maintenance, and future capital costs affect the City's budget?
What are the financial implications of renovating the existing library instead?

Residents deserve clear, comparable cost estimates and an honest discussion of the trade-offs before being asked to approve a major bond.

Please determine a financially responsible path forward for the library while ensuring that the existing library remains open until there is an operational replacement available to the community.

Others Are Asking Questions, Too

Lake Oswego resident Ruth Bregar recently published a thoughtful Letter to the Editor in the Lake Oswego Review, titled “Lake Oswego Doesn’t Need a New Library.”

She questions whether a new library is necessary when the existing 27,000-square-foot building could potentially be repaired, remodeled, and reconfigured to better meet modern needs. She also raises questions about the proposed west-side location, the cost of staffing two libraries, and why the City has not established a task force specifically to explore saving and modernizing the existing library.

Her central point is worth considering: Have we given sufficient attention to improving what we already have before deciding to build something new?

There are also residents organizing around these concerns. Friends of First Addition is another group asking questions about the proposed library and community center.

What I Hope We Can Agree On

This isn't simply a choice between supporting or opposing a new library. It's about making a thoughtful, financially responsible decision that serves Lake Oswego residents for decades to come. And not being in a situation that our existing library is no longer operational because it's taken so long to develop a plan for what to do and build something new while our existing library languishes.

Before we commit to a new library and community center, I believe we need:

A clear definition of the library services our community needs that is through a professional survey of ALL Lake Oswego taxpayers that is statistically representative of library uses and non users. And then to link those "wants" with what taxpayers are willing to fund through a Bond (or not fund).
A thorough evaluation of the existing library and the potential to renovate and modernize it. And the costs of leasing another space across town with limited staffing or the staff rotating between the two sites.
A fair comparison of realistic alternatives.
Transparent estimates of both initial and long-term costs.

I hope Lake Oswego will define the library services residents need, compare realistic alternatives, and understand the long-term costs and get taxpayer buy-in for this before committing to a new building.