Steamboat Pilot & Today

Oak Creek — Officials from the South Routt Library District want to find out why the ballot questions to pay for building and staffing a new library in Oak Creek failed.

To do this, they want locals in south Routt to answer six questions by telephone, fax, e-mail or mail.

"The main thing is that everyone would like to get some feedback from the community," District Project Coordinator Dina Murray said.

Though the library board has its own vision for the library district, it doesn't mean much if the community doesn't support it, Murray said.

In November, two ballot questions asking to adjust the mill levy to pay for building and staffing a 5,800-square-foot library in Oak Creek was voted down 572 to 653 and 552 to 671.

Now, library officials have mixed feelings on wanting to move forward with a similar project for the next November election, Murray said.

"It's hard to put two years into a project and start all over," she said.

Murray said everyone involved understands the $8.9 million school bond issue for building upgrades probably influenced people not to vote for the library bond. Both of the projects together would have increased the mill levy significantly, she said.

But that leaves officials to answer some tough questions about what the public really wants them to do.

The options the library board has in front of it is to put the exact same questions on the ballot next year, revamp the existing building project and put it on the ballot, sell the property for the new building and renovate the existing structures or sit on the issue for a few years and address the need at a later time, Murray said.

At the its first meeting of 2001, Monday, Jan. 15, the board will look at the public comments and try to decide what direction to take. That meeting also marks the beginning of a new board schedule, meeting the third Monday of every month.

All the meetings are held at the Oak Creek Public Library.