The Library Board of the City of Wylie met in regular session on May 13, 2002, at the Library. The attendees were:

Grace Morrison
Adrian Sanchez
Shirley Burnett
Dan Hendrix
Liz Allen
Kathy Spillyards

Topic: Future Library Building Possibilities and Budgeting.

The City Manager spoke to the library advisory board regarding future building possibilities. The City of Wylie is growing rapidly. The projected population for five years is 30,000. The build out for Wylie is projected to be 80,000. The City is currently averaging 1000 homes per years with an average of 3.2 people per household. Most retailers at this time are small businesses. Within the next six months, Biff projects that some big chains will be moving into Wylie. The Economic Development Corporation is heavily recruiting "big box" businesses such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s. Albertson’s is currently building a store in Wylie and there is a place for a big store next to the Albertson’s. After one large retailer moves to Wylie, it is likely that more will follow. The 4b sales tax revenue will quadruple in the next two years if these big retailers decide to come to Wylie.

Within the next two years, Biff is projecting there will be enough tax revenue to begin planning new facilities. The City Council and City Manager have discussed options of building joint facilities that will include a recreation center and library. The location will be determined by the availability of land. The City has the authority to purchase land when it becomes available to use for a joint facility.

Biff talked about the Lancaster Library and Recreation Center. They are built adjacent to each other and share parking lots. Duncanville has a joint facility (recreation center and library) where the lobby is shared which is not recommended because of noise. Biff encouraged the Board to begin planning and look at the new libraries in the area and to get input from the public on what they would like in a new facility. He stated that a new library would be more likely to be approved as a joint project than a stand-alone. The focus in Wylie is recreation, but Libraries are equally important since they meet educational needs.

Dale spoke in general about library building projects and encouraged the board to consider the following factors:

• Visit Libraries in the area and consider the following:
• Functions that don’t work in the building
• Clever ideas and unique features
• Innovative and creative ways to utilize space
• Ask yourself if these ideas will still be functional in ten years?
• Take pictures
• Prepare a checklist of the things you want in Wylie’s library
• Do a report on each site visit.

Below is a list of current building projects that are in different phases of development:

• Allen—The Library will be built within the next two years. The outstanding feature of this facility is a 500-seat auditorium. They are combining efforts with the Arts groups in Allen who will be using the auditorium.

• Carrolton—They renovated a Food Lion. The Library has a coffee bar managed by an outside firm. The furniture is very modern. Focus Groups played a major role in the development of this library.

• Dennison—They are currently in the planning stages for a new facility.

• Duncanville—They have a new recreation center and library that is joined by a foyer.

• Garland—There is a new branch in the South portion of Garland. The Children’s area is unique. The Friends of the Library played a major role in funding this portion of the Library. There is a technology lab. It is a renovated Food Lion.

• Plano—There are two new libraries in Plano. The Davis Library has some unique features in the Children’s area. The other new library is the Parr Library which has some really nice features.

• McKinney—The Library is a beautiful facility, but there is a lot of wasted space. The design of the library created a need for major staffing increases. There are four pubic service areas and the circulation desk. A minimum of two staff members is required during all open hours.

• Lancaster—This Library is built on the same property with a recreation center. Dale commented that the vaulted ceiling and glass has created very expensive electrical bills.

• Rowlett—This library is about 15,000 square feet and was built so that it could be doubled in size. They are going to add a two story addition to the current facility. The nice features about this facility are the meeting rooms and the technology center.

• Sachse—They just completed a 10,000 square foot library that has a very functional layout.

   1. Approval of the Minutes.

Minutes were approved as read from the April 8, 2002, meeting.

2. Discuss Monthly Report.

Mignon commented that the patron counter was broken during April. A new one has been purchased and installed. The statistic given in the report is an estimate. Web site stats are estimated too. The webmaster has had problems accessing the site that keeps the statistics for Wylie.

3. Discuss Future Meeting Dates

The Board will not have a meeting in June. The Board will review the 4b budget in July.

The Friends are having a book sale June 10 through June 12. They need volunteers to cover the sale.