Petitions turned in new library tax vote

Jamestown (CSi) Petitions have been submitted to the Stutsman County Auditor’s office, by the James River Valley Library System to put a quarter-percent sales tax on the November ballot for a planned expansion and renovation of Alfred Dickey Library.

JRVLS Development Director, Bill Kennedy says the petition includes about 2,419 unofficial signatures. A minimum of 1,452 valid signatures is needed on the petition, and it must be turned in 60 days before the November 4, 2014 elections.

Stutsman County Recorder and Deputy Auditor, Linda Chadduck, says the Stutsman County Auditor’s Office will authorize the signatures, and by Friday it should be determined if the initiative can go on the November 4, 2014 election ballot.

If approved in November, the quarter-percent sales tax would raise a total of about $700,000 per year for 10 years. That $7 million would be applied to the estimated $9 million cost of the project, with the rest coming from donations. It would require a simple majority to approve the quarter-percent sales tax.

Input or comments on the plans for Alfred Dickey Library, can be emailed to Library Director, Joe Rector at jrector@ daktel.com or to Bill Kennedy at

billkennedy@gmail.com.

Previously…

Jamestown (CSi) Architect JLG has released the rendering of the new James River Valley Library. The view is looking east across 1^st Ave. at the corner of 3^rd St. The main entrance is on grade, no steps. Parking is on the north side of the addition.

A news release from James River Valley Library System Development Director Bill Kennedy says the new library combines an approximate 17,000 sqare foot state of the art addition to the renovated 11,000 sf Alfred Dickey facility. It takes advantage of today’s electronic innovations while preserving the beauty and heritage of the 1919 design.

The estimated cost of the new facility is $9,000,000. An initiative for a ¼% sales tax will be on the November 4^th, 2014 ballot for city and county approval. The ¼% sales tax will cost the average Stutsman County family $33.75 a year according to the state tax office.

The target date for the grand opening is September 1, 2016.

The primary service that the public library provides is as the center of a community’s learning network, a learning network that serves pre-school through high school, college through seniors. The library provides the tools for every Stutsman County child, teen, adult and senior to acquire new skills. The library helps people connect to commerce, government and each other, with new devices and technologies while providing printed materials and access to research archives.

The key word is “ALL.” Not every child or adult has access to the internet, a smart phone or tablet. The library is crucial to those who do not have access to the latest electronic device. The library provides a balance of traditional materials, printed books, and internet access for learning.

Think about Louis L’Amour at the beginning of his life as a constant visitor to the Alfred Dickey Library. He credits AD in Education of a Wandering Man with giving him the learning tools he needed to become one of America’s greatest writers.

The next Louis L’Amour could be the first person to walk into the new James River Valley Library.

The new library will act as a catalyst for revitalizing downtown Jamestown. Studies show that whenever a new library is opened, patronage goes up, circulation goes up and the rest of the neighborhood and the community become more attractive to new talent and investment dollars.

For more information about the plans for the new library, go to

www.jamesriverlibrary.org, call Bill Kennedy at 701-252-2217, or e-mail Bill at billkennedy@gmail.com