At a meeting of Friends of the Intermountain Library (FOIL) at the Burney Library on Tuesday September 4, Pat Pell, President, informed board members that the appraisal of the Roper Building on Main Street in Burney has been completed.
The building was appraised a $275,000 by Maureen Fuller, MAI of the City of Redding. The official 50-page appraisal of the building is an important step forward in discussions with the County Board of Supervisors.
On January 28, 2014, The Shasta County Board of Supervisors held a meeting to determine distribution of money from Hatchet Ridge Community Benefit Funds. At that meeting, the Board unanimously approved “a $400,000 one-time grant for a new Burney Library Project Capital Campaign, to be awarded to the Friends of the Intermountain Library upon completion of successful fund-raising.”
The exact amount of money designated as “successful fundraising” was not specified. The presumed understanding was that it would be an amount that would ensure successful performance of the project. The Board directed County Executive Officer Larry Lees to prepare the necessary grant agreements.
Currently, the asking price for the building is somewhat higher that the appraised value. FOIL is currently in discussion with representatives from the County, Library Systems and Services, and Kim Niemer who oversees the Shasta County Public Library Contracts. to explore options for closing the gap between the appraised value and the asking price.
Before the Board of Supervisors will approve use of the funds they want to be sure that FOIL has a plan in place that will meet all County codes, ensure a smooth transition to the new facility, and provide performance for all necessary services and functions. FOIL and its supporters are working diligently to make sure that their plan meets all of the County’s requirements.
According to the treasurer’s report FOIL has raised more than $150,000 in cash and pledges toward the project.
One time-sensitive issue that was discussed concerned the $25,000 grant from the Rotary Club of Burney-Fall River and Rotary International for a children’s section in the new library building. In order for the grant to remain viable, there must be an agreement for purchase signed by December 31.
Anna Tracy, from Library Systems and Services, said that youth services is one the most important components of the Shasta County Library System. She noted that they had just hired a new Youth Services person who will be working in both Redding and Burney.
In other business, Burney Library Branch Manager Deb Dean said that 64 children in the Burney area participated in the Read to Ride Program this summer. Children earn points by checking out and reading books. Children in the program checked out more than 700 books. Twenty-five children were awarded ride bracelets for the carnival at the Inter-Mountain Fair.
The Burney Library will switch to Fall/Winter hours, 9 a.m.-5 p,m, on October 1.
Bill and Linda Murray reported on the FOIL bookstore on Main Street that is open every Friday from 10 a.m. -2 p.m. Mr. Murray said that the store has been selling an average of about $100 per week. They have also received a $250 donation and $32.06 from Amazon Smiles. A motion was approved and passed for the store to purchase a safe indoor kerosene heater to heat the store so it can remain open during the winter, pending approval of the building owner Mike Kaiser.
If you would like more information please call Pat Pell 335-7236.
Pit River Country 