Public Libraries: Tulsa’s Central Library Renovation Still Planned Despite Loss of $10 Million Allocation

From Tulsa World:

Despite the defeat of Vision2 and the loss of a $10 million allocation the Tulsa City-County Library would have received, the renovation of the Central Library branch is still in the works, the library’s chief executive officer said.
“The project is going to proceed,” said Gary Shaffer, TCCL’s CEO. “It was disappointing, but it’s not going to stop the wheels of progress.”
The project’s budget is $47.8 million, with the library having saved $15 million to put toward it.
If voters had approved the Vision2 package last month, it would have brought the public’s share to $25 million, leaving $22.8 million to be raised privately.
Now that Vision2 is gone, that remaining $10 million has to be raised in other ways, Shaffer said, including possible grants, federal or state money or private donations.
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Exterior construction may begin toward the end of 2013, and the two-year renovation project could be finished by the end of 2015.
While the project is under way, high-demand items such as public computers; children, teen and adult materials; and more popular research materials from the Central Library will be moved to the temporary location. The majority of the library’s collection will be warehoused, but still available by request.

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