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Efforts to build a new Belle Haven Library moved forward on June 18 after the Menlo Park City Council unanimously approved a $160,000 contract with Noll & Tam Architects to develop concept designs. The firm will also analyze potential site options and come up with preliminary cost estimates for a new library.
The current Belle Haven Library, as staff put it, “is widely regarded as inadequate to meet community needs.”
Since last October, the city has completed a “space needs study” and found that a new library should be about 12,000 square feet to support the community needs. It would include a community learning center, a meeting room, a conference room, multiple sound-insulated study rooms and computers with public internet access, as well as areas for teens and story time sessions.
On June 11, the council approved a new program for community engagement work, developed by the Institute for Local Government. It relies on a framework called “TIERS” (an acronym for think, initiate, engage, review, shift) and lays out a standard approach for how to involve the community with local government.
“Think” is the first step and involves some preliminary assessments of the existing conditions, planning a public engagement approach and developing a list of community-based organizations and people to inform the process, as well as coming up with different places to hold meetings.
“Initiate” involves developing an approach and a plan, as well as doing a “reality check” to consider political issues, who will lead the outreach efforts and what the timeline and budget will be, among other considerations.
“Engage” is the part of the process where the plan is actually implemented, and when the outreach leader talks to other community leaders to check in and make any necessary adjustments. “Review” involves evaluating the public outreach and engagement processes. “Shift” involves making organizational changes to improve those processes and considering policy changes.
This process is also expected to be used to collect community input on a local minimum wage ordinance, and on what should be changed about the city’s commission/committees handbook.
Despite the new paradigm for community outreach efforts, some are already concerned that the process hasn’t been transparent enough. Specifically, Belle Haven resident Pam Jones said the community hasn’t been informed about the locations the city is open to considering for a new branch library, and asked that the advisory committee that had been meeting to discuss a Belle Haven Library be brought back.
Councilwoman Betsy Nash and Vice Mayor Cecilia Taylor said they’ve been talking about bringing the committee back but didn’t have any news yet to report. Menlo Park resident Lynne Bramlett said she thought residents were being brought into the decision-making process too late and asked the city to adopt a different model for public engagement.
In addition to the public outreach efforts, Noll & Tam will be tasked with analyzing potential costs, project feasibility, project timeline, traffic impacts, parking options, bike and pedestrian access and integration with nearby housing and the city. The firm will also discuss the pros and cons of different potential sites for the library.
The city received five proposals from different firms to lead the project, but staff chose Noll & Tam — the firm that also conducted the space needs study — because it has done similar projects. The contract is estimated to cost $132,000, but the city is also factoring in $28,000 in contingency funds and $30,000 in staff costs.
In its proposal, the architectural firm said it will work on site analyses in July and August, develop conceptual design alternatives in September and October, come up with cost estimates in November and make recommendations on the best site and conceptual design options in December and January.
I am happy to see the council making progress on this. It has taken far to long to get this library in the works. Next up I hope they can start working to rectify the other missing services like a full service grocery, full service bank, Pharmacy, etc. It is time Belle Haven gets the attention and services that it deserves.