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6 GROUNDCOVER NEWS LIBRARIES The Ypsilanti community has been missing its downtown library for a year and nine months. During summer 2023, a round of severe storms overwhelmed the roof drains and soaked the ceiling and walls, leaving the historic building with severe water damage. (The downtown library building was built in 1914 as a post office.) The water from the storms got into the building's old structure — the ceiling, all four walls and the floor. The library staff who worked the night of the storm swiftly moved materials away from the flooding, losing fewer than 100 books and some furnishings, officials said. The branch hasn’t been open to the public since that evening of July 1, 2023. Library Director Lisa Hoenig previously announced the branch would reopen in late 2023, but construction only began to repair and upgrade the library in March 2024. Hoening made announcements for a reopening many times over 2024, but supply chain issues have continue to cause an indefinite delay. C.A.N. Art Handworks, the specialty metal work artisan, did not follow through on promised completion dates and so the library and project completely redesigned youth area. The alterations are intended to offer more amenities to future patrons upon the reopening of the library. YDL librarian Aaron Smith said, MIKE JONES Groundcover vendor No. 113 manager began to charge them daily fines for delaying the work in January of this year. Hoenig stated in an online update, “He is holding our library and our community hostage with his inaction … We are cautiously optimistic that this will move the work forward.” Instead, they ended up needing to switch contractors, and as of March 6, are working on a Plan B to finish the vestibule. Still, there is no formal announcement of an official reopening date. "The future is unclear, " said Hoenig. The need to address water damage prompted an interior upgrade that includes three new study rooms, a laptop counter with a view of the street, some new furnishings, and a “The front doors will be different; instead of two doors on both sides of the entrance, there will be one big door that makes it easy for handicap accessibility. The information front desk will be in the same area, but we have all new bookshelves and the arrangement of books will look different. The computer, sitting and reading areas are all new. "For those who visited the library before, one might remember on the very back wall where we had sci-fi and graphic novels, that whole area now has three new meeting rooms, so now we have three small meeting rooms that will accommodate three to four people and the big meeting room upstairs, and the big meeting room downstairs. Upstairs where the new books section used to be, that room is now a tech lab study area. “Overall, we have more space for people to do their thing. It is going to be great to reopen and I hope people appreciate it. We are also looking Read the “Michigan Ave. branch closure updates” page on the YDL website for future updates. MARCH 7, 2025 Is there light at the end of the YDL construction tunnel? forward to hearing feedback on the new amenities and upgrades.” Libraries offer more resources than just free books and media. They are warming and cooling centers, a place to access computers and wifi, bathrooms and water. Libraries offer free activities — and people can go there without buying anything first. Denise Shearer, Groundcover vendor No. 485, shared her thoughts about the closure. “I really miss the downtown library because it was one of my places I went to relax and hang out and have a good time. Sometimes I would go there just for some peace and enjoy the local scenery." City of Ann Arbor and AADL announce plans for the Center of the City affordable units and market rate units. • Provide multiple event spaces for CITY OF ANN ARBOR During the past several weeks, City of Ann Arbor staff, City Administrator Milton Dohoney Jr. and Ann Arbor District Library Director Eli Neiburger have been in discussions to develop a shared vision for the surface of the Library Lane Parking Structure (referred to as the Library Lane Parcel). These meetings resulted in a draft framework for the site. “I appreciate AADL Director Neiburger for rolling up his sleeves to imagine a shared vision for this underutilized site,” said Administrator Dohoney.“This vision takes a site that has been the source of community frustration for years and transforms it into a downtown jewel that could address several community needs. To unlock the full potential of emerging opportunities, we must prioritize strong collaboration between public institutions as a standard practice for progress and development.” In 2018, the Ann Arbor City Charter was amended by adding a new section 1.4 to Chapter 1. The amendment came about as a result of Ann Arbor City Proposal A for the city-owned public land — bounded by Fifth Avenue, and William, Division and Liberty streets — to be retained in public ownership in perpetuity and developed as an urban central park and civic center commons to be known as the "Center of the City." Moving the city- and AADL-shared vision for the Library Lane Parcel site forward will require several steps, including Ann Arbor voters voting to amend the Charter provision in an upcoming election, as well as the AADL Board and the Ann Arbor City Council supporting an agreement that would be drafted to contain the following elements: • This project will not require any new taxes. • The City of A2 would sell Library Lane Parcel air rights to AADL for $1. • AADL would build a new downtown branch location that would span the Library Lane Parcel and the library’s current site at 343 S. 5th Ave. • Above the new library, the project would provide a mixture of housing types, including artist spaces, condos, use by the city and the public. • Provide new outdoor public open space, improved programming, and be managed by AADL. • Provide small business development space at below market expense. • AADL would issue a public Request for Proposals and partner with a development team to develop both parcels as a single project. • AADL would conduct a community engagement process to solicit public input on the project. • The housing portion of the project would be new property on the City of Ann Arbor’s tax rolls. • The city would continue to own the parking garage until the debt is paid off in 2042. At that time, the AADL would purchase the structure from the city using an agreed-upon formula. “We’re so thrilled to have reached this point where there finally appears to be an answer for the future of the Downtown Library, and the Library Lane Parcel, that realizes the civic vision that the community has been developing for decades,” said Neiburger. “AADL is the organization best situated to develop this site into a beautiful, engaging and inspiring new asset for the people of Ann Arbor,” Neiburger added. “The library has demonstrated its capacity and commitment to professionally operate shared public spaces, sometimes in challenging environments, in a way that provides outstanding value to the entire community.” City staff recognize that some framework details could be modified once input is received from the AADL and City of Ann Arbor governing bodies. City Council is expected to consider an initial resolution at its March 3 meeting. The AADL will consider a resolution at its April 1 meeting. “This is an incredible opportunity for Ann Arbor,” said Mayor Taylor. “The prospect of a state-of-the art District Library downtown, thousands of square feet of public open space, hundreds of units of new, diverse housing, multiple event and gathering locations, all without raising taxes — is an absolute game changer. I am so excited to work with city staff, my colleagues on City Council, the AADL and the public to make this vision a reality.” We invite readers to submit their thoughts about this project to the Groundcover News editoral team at submissions@groundcovernews.com

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