The cost to lease the Slide Road shopping center location of Godeke library is about 300 thousand tax dollars a year, which is 25 thousand dollars a month. A search for a more cost efficient alternative is underway.
Options include to renew the current lease, try to negotiate new terms, lease somewhere else, purchase an existing building, or maybe even build a new one. Mayor Glen Robertson says "my number one job is to be fiscally responsible for tax payers money. And continuing the lease we're in now with Godeke is not responsible spending."
Members of the libraries board and some council members discuss the future of Godeke library. Members want a permanent location for Godeke and councilman Todd Klein agrees saying "I don't think the answer is to do another temporary situation." Nadine McDonald, Chairman of the City Library Board says "we're wanting to go out to southwest Lubbock. Because there's such a need out there because a majority of the branches are considered north Lubbock."
The 50th street location has been the most discussed option so far but many are skeptical. McDonald says "there are some things, some issues, the size for one, the parking and I think we've all heard a lot of that discussion. It's going to take some remodeling and we're not sure that that would stay a permanent location."
Mayor Robertson says while a 90-day feasibility study is underway on purchasing the 50th street building, he plans to put it on the agenda for the next city council meeting for a vote. "We're just to a point where we've got two groups that are very vocally and very passionately against this and I think they've probably swayed a large majority of the council so we're just kind of at the point where I think we need to go down the road."
Klein and mayor Robertson believe the partnership with the current Godeke location is in good standing, but would be open to future conversations to see if they can make better choices for the tax payers.
