JRVLS News Release – May 12, 2014:

The JRVLS Board approved options to purchase two properties in downtown Jamestown, adjacent to the existing Alfred Dickey Library,  at its board meeting.

LibaryMapleMall2The two properties, directly north of Alfred Dickey Library will allow for the construction of a new two level 16,000 sf state of the art addition to the 11,200 sf Alfred Dickey facility.   AD will be renovated to take advantage of today’s electronic innovations while preserving the beauty and heritage of the 1919 design.  Bringing the classic and the contemporary together allows the board to honor the past and recognize the constantly changing learning environment.

The new facility will bring the Stutsman County Library, the bookmobile and the Alfred Dickey Library under one roof. The estimated cost of the new facility is $9,000,000.  Net cost after donations is conservatively estimated at $7,750,000.

Concept drawing:

LibraryDwtn500Concept

An initiative for a ¼% sales tax will be on the November 4th, 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 option agreements, included in the $9,000,000, are for the property owned by Satrom Rentals, immediately adjacent to AD, and the Maple Mall owned by Helen Ashwell.  The Satrom property purchase price is $375,000. The Ashwell price is $399,000.

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.

Library BD on WB1The 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 Andrew Carnegie at the start of his life as a teenager, an immigrant and factory worker. He gives the library credit for shaping his future. Think about Louis L’Amour at the beginning of his life as a constant visitor to the Free 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 Andrew Carnegie or Louis L’Amour could be the first person to walk into the new James River Valley Library.

The library brings people together for engagement around books, culture, neighborhood connection and civic exchange. All of which is augmented by ever changing electronic devices. 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 becomes more attractive to new talent and $.

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For more information about the plans for the new library, go to www.jamesriverlibrary.org,