By Jeff Kenney Citizen edtor
The Culver-Union Twp. Library board last week opened bids received for the library’s recently-advertised children’s room renovation project, though the board announced that a final decision on the contractor choice will be made at a later time. Instead, the March 18 meeting saw an animated discussion that followed the bid announcements, which came from four contractors.

Library board president Ron Cole read the bids, which came from D & T Construction Service, Inc., of Silver Lake, whose base bid was $44,910; Kaser Spraker Construction of South Bend, who bid $48,580; W.J. Carey Construction of South Whitley, whose base bid was $74,000; and Milestone Construction of Syracuse, who submitted $40,200 as a base bid. The bids were read, with additional alternates, in order of receipt.
The project in question, approved by the board for up to $110,000 plus alternates at its Feb. 18 meeting, aims at renovating and improving the children’s and young adult area of the library in downtown Culver, with the aim of creating a more welcoming and attractive environment for youthful patrons.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, audience member Helen Fishburn asked why there were no local contractors submitting bids for the project. Cole replied that the advertisement had been put into area newspapers and that the renovation design firm, the Troyer Group, put out the word that bids were being taken. Representatives of the Troyer Group, also present for the meeting, added that they had received “a lot of calls” about the project and had several copies of the plans picked up.
Audience member Alfred Nyby of Culver asked if the $17,000 cost of the planning portion of the project only included the plans themselves, to which Cole replied that the price included site visits and progress checks from Troyer Group as the project proceeds.
Nyby continued by expressing concerns about spending at the library. “I would like the library not to do this remodeling,” he said. “I think the library is spending too much money.”
Cole noted that a children’s committee had been formed by the library, including members of the public, in hopes of generating ideas for better visitation by youth to the library.
Board member Phil Mallory added, “There have already been three meetings open to the public, and we asked for input at the time. Before this started, there was an open, public meeting and we explained the proposal. Later in the evening, we had a meeting that included a parents’ group.  The last meeting was when these folks (Troyer Group) came in and presented plans for the first time. So at this time to say that we don’t want expenditures, is a little late.”
“What have you got to lose to hear us out,” Nyby asked. “We’re here to represent the public…can I have five minutes?”
Nyby distributed a page of statistics to board and audience members and addressed the board, “There are 239 libraries in Indiana according to the Indiana State Library. Culver-Union Twp. Public Library spends the third highest amount per capita of all 239 libraries. We have 3,200 people in this township, and we spend the third highest amount. We spend $150 per capita, more than triple the average library in the state of Indiana.”
“Look at the number of employees we have,” continued Nyby. “Three and a half times as many as the average Indiana library. We have 10 times as many computers for the public as the average Indiana library, and seven times as much building space.”
Cole noted that the library building, having been newly renovated and opened in 2002, is six years old, and, he said, “The computers are used constantly at night by children here around town.”
Nyby suggested that the library needs to be more fiscally responsible and noted that the children’s area planned for renovation is only six years old. “Even if it’s only $50,000 instead of $150,000, it’s still a lot of money. You’ve already spent $40,000 on computers (recently).”
Board member Carol Saft countered, “And aren’t we fortunate, as a small town, to have that?”
“If we were going to have to raise taxes for that,” said Mallory, addressing Nyby, “I’d agree. But I don’t think it’s irresponsible to say we have 10 times more computers than other libraries.”
Mallory also pointed out that the renovation project is aimed at bringing more children into the library, with Nyby countering that the proposed design resembled a “Starbucks coffee shop,” and asked, “How is that room going to encourage children to read? When is it going to end? With the $40,000 for computers, if you go for this remodeling, you’ll have spent close to a million dollars this year between the budget and other expenditures. This is for a township of 3,200 people. Is anybody going to say, ‘enough’?”
Board member Rita Lawson, referring to the source of the renovation funds – the Library Improvement Reserve Fund, which was accumulated over several years -- asked, “Isn’t it fiscally responsible to save money up to do what needs to be done?”
To Nyby’s questioning whether the renovation really needs to be done, Saft replied, “Other members of the public think so. That room wasn’t designed properly in the first place. Now we have saved up that money to rectify the problem that’s up there now. We want children to come up to the library and have access to books, and feel welcome here.”
Nyby said that “there are only 600 kids between the age of five and 17 in this township. Let’s not be wasteful about it… we have a nice library here, but we don’t have to spend like there’s no tomorrow.”
“What does it take,” asked Saft, “to keep a library up, and keep books in a library?”
“There’s bound to be someone at the top end of a given group or sample,” added Mallory. “We happen to be at the upper end, since we are spending money saved specifically for this kind of thing, for building projects. I can’t apologize for that. This is money we have saved. If something happens with this library (consolidation proposed by the Kernan Shepard Commission, the money is) going to go to the county.”
In response to audience member Connie Van Horn’s query as to how much money is in the library’s Library Improvement Reserve Fund (LIRF), library director Carol Jackson said that the fund is currently at $394,000 to $396,000, and that the library’s Rainy Day Fund is down to $60,000, from $128,000 last year. Library accountant Jim Faulkner, also in the audience, noted that the library does not yet know how much money it will receive for that fund from the Indiana Dept. of Local Government and Finance, which Jackson said miscalculated funding this year. She added that last year’s DLGF adjustments were over $70,000 in the library’s favor.
Van Horn also asked if the library’s annual report was advertised this year, to which Jackson replied that the report “doesn’t get advertised. It goes in to the state library.”
Nyby asked how citizens can access records of money spent by the library, which Cole said are available at the office upstairs. Nyby added that he didn’t like the board’s choice to spend all the money the library has saved up, to which Mallory replied, “We’re not spending it all. I regret that you imply that we’re spending it all.”
“I’m just putting it into perspective,” Nyby replied.