Friends of the Durango Public Library launch “101 Campaign”

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DURANGO, Colo. – One-time; one-on-one; 101 years old. These are the multiple meanings carried in the designation of the Friends of the Durango Public Library’s “101 Campaign,” a capital campaign to help bridge the gap between available city funding for construction of the new library and its anticipated budget.
 

“The library is 101 years old, and right now we’re speaking to people one-on-one,” said Patti Zink, who is co-chairing the 101 Campaign with Florence “Foxie” Mason. “And this is a one-time campaign. If you contribute to the library today, we won’t be coming back to you for another 100 years – not in our lifetime.”

In April 2005, prior to determining the site for the new library, and prior to the city purchasing the old Mercy Medical Center campus, Durango voters approved a one-half cent sales tax increase, half of which would be dedicated to capital improvements, of which the library is primary. Rather than wait for sales tax to accumulate to pay for the much needed library, however, the city opted to bond.
 “The city bonded to the full amount it could to finance construction of the new library,” explained Zink, referencing the $15,890,000 in bonds to which Durango voters overwhelmingly agreed in November 2006.
In April 2007, Sherry Taber, library director and force behind the new library effort, estimated the total cost of the new library could be more than $18 million, which would include Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and amenities requested by community member focus groups.
“The best part of it all,” said Taber, “has been the community meetings we’ve had, the thoughts and ideas that people have, the care that they have about this building. It’s wonderful.”
But wonderful things do cost money. With the 101 Campaign, “the people” are being asked to pledge dollars to finance the dreams.
 

As Zink further elaborated, though the library is city-owned and managed, “The city council does want ‘buy-in’ from the community. So $750,000 (the goal of the 101 Campaign) is part of the budget and has to come from the community or through grants.”

Mason and Zink launched planning for what emerged as the 101 Campaign in June, along with volunteer committee members Sheryl Ayers, Georgann Beauparlant, Chris Berry, Kathy Deaderick, Cheryl Folwell, Sandra Mapel, Pam Miles, Debra Parmenter, Jane Pearson and Ed Angus.
“We’re doing it on somewhat on a shoestring,” said Zink. “And we’re just now going public. Wonderfully, we haven’t met with much resistance. I think people feel it (donating to the library) is the right thing to do.”
The committee held its first official fundraiser in September at the home of Bette Serzen – The Table of Contents Dinner featuring local authors. The up-coming Literary Tea featuring author Ana Baca is sold out, with 100 percent of ticket sales contributed to the campaign. Thus far, through these events and individual discussions, some $300,000 is pledged.
“And I am very confident of an additional $100,000,” said Zink. “So I feel really good about what we’ve accomplished thus far.”
As most library-users realize, the Durango Public Library has long out-grown its 15,000 square feet of space at the East 2^nd Ave. location. Indeed, much of the library’s inventory in housed off-site in the Mason Center. Search for a new location dates back to Taber’s hiring in 1999, and realization of the new 45,000 square foot facility, anticipated to open by the end of 2008, was thus a long time coming.
 

“The (current) library is heavily used,” said Taber, in essence justifying that the new library is truly a community need. “We get about 1,100 people a day.”

In 2006, reportedly 372,498 individuals entered the library – or 111 visitors for each hour the library was open. The library has 20,666 registered borrowers, including out-state, city (8,108) and county (11,644) residents.
For every hour the library was open in 2006, some 80 items were borrowed, for a total of 267,634 items. Durango residents borrowed 106,112 items, with county residents borrowing 144,508 items. Nearly 22,000 of those were circulated to children.
Expectation is that all numbers will increase when the new library opens. In addition to expanding shelf space for books, the new children’s area will allow for programs to be held in the facility, and not off-site as now is required. The young adult area, designed with input from middle school aged focus groups, targets an entirely new demographic that currently is not visiting the library.
“We’re going to attract people who come to see the river,” said Taber, reminding that the building is set to take maximum advantage of the Animas River frontage, both with indoor reading rooms and patios. “Or they’ll come to use the program room.”
Given the community has been in need of additional public meeting space, the new library will include a flexible program room with its own entrance. Ostensibly, funding from the 101 Campaign will help outfit the community room with quality audio visual equipment, prep kitchen facilities and more.
And technology will play a key role in the new facility. Beyond having computers available to visitors, an automated materials handling system, automated check-out, radio-frequency ID chips in materials and more are planned – all with a price tag. Structural items, including planning for adequate electrical power, also play into the bottom line cost.
“You want to do it correctly, and you have no way of knowing,” said Taber of planning for future needs. “You have to be practical about the budget and do the right thing with taxpayers’ money. You want to make it last at least 20 to 25 years except for maintenance. That’s hard in this day and age.”
To help, grants are a key component in the 101 Campaign, but cannot be guaranteed. According to Zink, the committee recently met with the Gates Family Foundation and while the reception was good, Gates provides a matching grant at the end of a campaign. Thus, it behooves the community to enlarge the library fund as much as possible to ensure a maximum gift from Gates and other

foundations with similar perimeters.

Donations are tax deductible under the Friends of the Library’s 501(c )(3) non-profit designation. Plus, the library is a designated Enterprise Zone, entitling those who donate in excess of $200 to receive a 25 percent state tax deduction. The 101 Campaign is set to run through June 2009, and individual pledges can be made over the two-year period. The Enterprise Zone qualification is also in place through that time period.
Though in its development stage, a web site will follow the library construction and funding progress. Hope is to secure the domain name 101campaign.com. Return to DurangoDowntown.com/news in coming weeks for updated information on the web site and additional library news.
Contribute to the Durango Public Library “101 Campaign” in person at the current Durango Public Library, or by mail, with checks made payable to “Friends of the Durango Public Library,” Durango Public Library Building Fund, c/o Clark, White & Associates, PO Box 1619, Durango, Colo. 81302.
“The involvement that the community has had has made a difference,” said Taber. “It’s been a community effort all the way along.”