Novi Library Proposal

I have decided to do my argumentative essay on the Novi Library Proposal. The proposal will expand the current library of 23,190 square feet to 60,000 square feet, with the option of expanding the library to 90,000 square feet in 2030. The current Novi library was built in 1976 when Novi's population was 22,525, however Novi's current population is over 53,000. Novi's population is estimated to reach 80,000 by 2030. The current library is old, outdated, and way to small. The size of the library is the biggest issue. There was a proposal in 2001 for the library to be expanded, but the people of Novi rejected it. The previous proposal asked for 20 million dollar bond, but the citizens of Novi would had to have paid an annual fee as long as they lived in the city. This year's proposal is asking for a bond between 14 and 16 million, and the citizens will only have to pay an annual fee for twenty years compared to the lifetime fee of before. If you have a house value between 175,000-220,000 then your annual fee is $29.83; 220,000-400,000 then your annual fee is $37.62; 4000,000 and above then your annual fee is $68.40. This is a close estimate as to what the costs will be, but the exact price will be determined in the the next month and a half.

I spoke with Robert Cutler, the Novi Library Board President, and he explained that they really can't just add on or expand the current library because it was not designed for this. The old library will have to be pretty much torn down and then rebuilt. If the proposal is approved at the polls the expanded library will be 10 percent of the old building library and 90 percent new. They will keep some of the old building but not much. The major concern for many citizens is what will they do when the library is under expansion. Cutler explained to me that they will hire a professional company to move all of the current library equipment and put it in a new building off site. The off site location will be five minutes away from the current library. This will allow for the citizens to still have a library while the expansion process is ongoing. The cost of moving off site will be close to a million dollars, but this is already included in the 14 to 16 million dollar estimate.

The current library was never meant to serve such a big population. It has served the community well for over 30 years, but it has way to many problems. As mentioned above, size is the biggest issue. The lack of space limits the number of library programs offered, the number of books they can order/store, and the addition of new computers. In addition, the library staff has terrible working conditions because their work area in the back is extremely small. These are just a few of reasons why the current library needs to be expanded, but their are plenty more. I will mention and explain more of the problems throughout the entire paper. If the people of Novi do not vote "yes" on this year's proposal they are making a huge mistake. If the library does not get redone soon, more and more problems are going to arise and become very evident. Each year the library expansion gets delayed the construction cost will rise 5 to 10 percent per year due to the increase in material costs. The time is now for the people of Novi to vote yes, and I am going to try to convince them of this.