Moses Lake votes to amend contract with library

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council voted 5 to 2 Tuesday to authorize the city manager to enter into an amended contract with North Central Washington Libraries for its continued use of the building housing the Moses Lake library.

Mayor David Curnel and Council member Don Myers voted against the measure.

The amended contract increases the reimbursement rate to the city by $0.25 to $3.75 per square foot and notes additional reimbursable square footage was identified in a recent building assessment.

The amended contract came after the city council last November provided notice of termination to NCW Libraries to negotiate a better contract, when concerns were raised the city was spending more money to upkeep the building than it was being reimbursed for the site. Understanding a number of the cities where NCW Libraries have a physical presence have faced similar issues, the organization began looking at ways to upgrade old and expensive library buildings, said City Manager Allison Williams.

“They understand the concern about the cities with buildings to maintain and that many cities are upside down with that, with more cost to maintain than dollars received in rent,” Williams said at Tuesday’s council meeting.

“They took their own funds and used them to hire a consultant to do building condition assessments, which is a significant investment,” she said in an earlier Tuesday interview.

As part of that building assessment, the consultant identified approximately 300 additional square feet in the library, from 11,518 to 11,819. NCW Libraries reimburses the city for expenses, including maintenance to the building, on a per-square-foot basis, meaning the city would see an increase in revenue due to the adjustment.

Additionally, NCW Libraries, along with partner organizations in the community, will work with city staff going forward to identify grant sources to upgrade the library, potentially decreasing the cost to operate, Williams said.

Mayor David Curnel repeated concerns at Tuesday’s meeting that the city was losing more money than it was receiving as part of the lease agreement.

“I want to keep an eye on that,” Curnel said.

Williams noted grant funds recently became available that could be used to install new energy efficient systems in the building. With those cuts to utility bills going forward, the city would be nearly in the black for the agreement, she said.

Emry Dinman can be reached via email at edinman@columbiabasinherald.com.