Let's get this library built already!

Nobody likes getting stuck in the mud. If you do, well, you’re weird. Getting stuck in the mud means you’re going nowhere fast, and the more you try to gain traction, the messier things get. The same is true in politics and building projects.

The library has been at its current location at 206 Knox Street since 1996. Before that it was housed inside the old Barbourville City Hall building. Growing up, that was my library. I loved going there with classes in school, and when the Bookmobile came around that was an extra special treat. Libraries have always been important to me because I value learning a variety of information, and I value history. The people who say “nobody uses the library anymore” just don’t get it. Books are not the thing they used to be, that much is true. Printed material is making a strong comeback, however. Like magazines, store catalogs (even Amazon, an online retailer, has a Christmas catalog not unlike the Sears and JC Penney catalogs I remember as a child), and newspapers, printed books are more in demand. Print has lived beyond what many predicted thanks to wave after wave of disinformation being spread through digital means. Anything digital can be altered at any time. Print, however, is locked down. Once it’s printed, it’s record. That’s why physical newspapers are so important. Whereas someone with a website and a Facebook page can post everything they deem important for free, we at the newspaper have a lot on the line. We have history on the line. What we print is final and what we say matters. Back to books… they are being resurrected for the same reasons.

Let’s look back at my history covering this new library construction project. In case you have been under a rock, new plans have been drawn up to build a beautiful new facility to house our library, but also to allow it to expand its offerings and capacity. If you didn’t know, and it’s apparent that many don’t… our library is at capacity. The programs are maxed out and it literally… legally and safely… cannot hold more people.

I was once told in an email by a very prominent local businessman a few years ago after one of my library stories published that “libraries were a waste.” He claimed he drives by new ones in eastern Kentucky, and they sit, empty and unused. He feels the tax money that goes to the library could be used elsewhere for broader financial prosperity in the county, like the industrial park. 

The taxes that go to the library can only be used for the library. Furthermore, the Knox County Public Library does not take as much tax income as it is allowed by state. It could be taking more. Our library does have millions of dollars in the bank that fund its operations and will pay a substantial amount of the construction cost. The land is already paid for. What is left to finance, library officials tell us the existing tax revenue going to the library will not only fund the operations of the library (current and future) but will also cover the loan payments on the amount that needs financed. If that money cannot be used elsewhere, and it cannot be… this is not going to raise your taxes.

In February 2018, I wrote the first article of many about the future of the Knox County Public Library. That story, “Library announces relocation project,” laid out some basic history of the library and the beginnings of a wish list of what the directors wanted to see in a new facility.

In May 2019, I wrote a story detailing the library’s purchase of land at the corner of College Street and Daniel Boone Drive, that would serve as a new home for the community pillar. That land was purchased for $700,000. As I mentioned earlier… this is paid for.

In February 2020, the library ran a public notice seeking proposals for a qualified Architect/Engineer firm to get this project going. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. The world crashed to a standstill. Throughout the pandemic, with people stuck at home – parents and students in many cases – the library devised ways to stay engaged with the public. While people couldn’t come inside the building, the library did create to-go packages of activities for people of all ages and even had a curbside book service! The library staff could’ve easily gone home until things got better, but they did not. They persevered for the betterment of the community they serve!

In Summer 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic was easing, the library was again ready to move forward with construction and ran public notices seeking bids for architectural services.

In February 2024, a rendering of the new building’s design was unveiled for the first time for the public to see. The facility is 19,500 square feet – about three times the size of the current facility. The proposed facility is designed at the size recommended by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, based on the county’s population. The same agency, KDLA, oversees libraries in the state and provides guidance and accountability on their operations. The new library boasts of nearly triple the overall space to include multiple community and meeting rooms, a maker space for crafters and hobbyists, improved areas for children and teenagers and a dedicated pickup and drop-off service among dozens of other improvements and new additions such as areas to socialize while drinking a cup of coffee and engage in conversation. In addition to a new facility, the expanded offerings will also mean more jobs for Knox County.

Trouble began for the new library project in January 2024 when a community member spoke up at that month’s meeting of the Knox County Fiscal Court, the governing body in Knox County. The individual pressed Judge-Executive Mike Mitchell and County Attorney Gilbert Holland on the status of the library project’s approval by the Fiscal Court. As Holland was unfamiliar with the laws quoted at the meeting, the matter was tabled while the matter would be investigated further.

The law in question is a relatively new one. Senate Bill 167 was passed in 2023, and would require approval by the local county fiscal court for construction projects costing $1 million or more. The library project will cost more than $12 million. At the time of the initial reporting of this situation, the bill’s sponsor, Senator Phillip Wheeler, a Republican from Pikeville, told Library Director Lana Hale he believed the Knox library project should have been grandfathered in as the project originated well before the new law was introduced and passed.

When questioned about the new law and the effect on the project, Holland told The Mountain Advocate for the February 7 article, “From what I can tell I believe it does (need to be brought before the fiscal court), but it is a new law that has not been fleshed out yet. The question will be, does the fact it was started prior to the law’s effective date, ‘grandfather’ the project.”

During the April 2024 meeting of the Knox County Fiscal Court, Hale appeared before the court alongside the library’s attorney, Suzy Marino, an associate with Dinsmore & Shohl LLC of Louisville. Marino, who specializes in commercial litigation and has claims under the Kentucky Open Records Act, zoning and property disputes and appeals, argued the interpretation of Senate Bill 167 was vague and argued it wasn’t clear if the law concerned the total construction cost or individual expenditures.

Judge-Executive Mike Mitchell advised Marino that state officials had advised him the fiscal court would need to take up the issue for approval.

Since that meeting in April 2024, the library project has not proceeded further. In the several meetings of the fiscal court since then, the item has not been on the agenda to take action to approve, or decline, the library construction project.

The regular meeting of the Knox County Fiscal Court occurs next on Wednesday, August 28. As of Tuesday night, August 27, nothing concerning the library is on the agenda. If an item of business is not on the agenda prior to the agenda being adopted at the beginning of the meeting, no action can be taken during that meeting. A special meeting can be called, however, to handle business that needs addressing sooner than the next regular monthly meeting.

Before the agenda is adopted, there is a time for community members to speak before the fiscal court, which is made of up Knox County Judge-Executive Mike Mitchell, Magistrates Roger C. Mills, Tony Golden, Keith Abner, Jeff Ketcham and Sam Miller.

It’s one thing to share Facebook posts, but progress only happens when people are willing to stand up and fight for it. Let your voices be heard, and don’t be afraid to speak up to your government leaders. These elected officials are hired by you, the voter, and they need to know where their constituents stand on the issues.

If you support the library and don’t stand, nothing will happen.

The Knox County Fiscal Court meets inside the Knox County Courthouse District Courtroom at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 28.

For the naysayers... if you don't believe the library is an active, vibrant place, I invite you to check out their Facebook page. They do a great job of highlighting their activities that people of all ages and walks of life enjoy. https://www.facebook.com/kcplbville