E.B. Schofield
City of Boise - Page 4 of the December 13, 2018 Library Meeting Minutes say, "The bird strike issue noted in the previous public comment phase has been resolved and just needs communicated to the public. Two options were provided by Safdi Architects and need to be costed." Why not provide that information ASAP - citizens want to know.

Christine King
Yes, and how will these mitigating practices address other concerns about potential glare to drivers, heating and cooling costs, and potential damage to materials from exposure to bright sunlight?

Dear City of Boise: I appreciate your response. It doesn't address my concerns. Can you see seniors with walkers coming from a block it two away? It may be the closest parking, but by the time you've come all the way around from Biomark to the proposed main entrance, it's a serious hike for someone with, say, rheumatoid arthritis. This facility is supposed to serve our community as a whole, not just the able-bodied.

M. Thomas
No. Our $543,000 bought us one conceptual design from Safdie, who has now been hired with a $11.1 million+ contract to proceed with that one design. The plus is for the future events center, which is now on hold because for $85 million we can't afford it. Parking will be purchased with city money from a private developer when they demolish the Foothills school. There will be no true on-site parking; even the disabled parking will be in the area adjacent to Biomark, essentially across 8th Street from the proposed new building. This concept needs to go back to the drawing board after a public financing vote. Renovate don't demolish, keep The Cabin in its location, incorporate true onsite parking. These objectives are achievable, and if not by this architectvthen hire a different one with a lower price tag who can keep within the original $45 million proposed project budget.

M. Thomas
So important to distinguish budget vs true cost. And extremely alarming at this point in the process to still not see any semblance of projected increases to personnel, maintenance, operations - additional direct burdens on already overtaxed residents. We can not afford this proposal!

E.B. Schofield
Library Meeting Minutes and City Council Work Sessions in 2017 show $40 million based on a combination remodel and addition to the existing structure, which would expand current space, and add space for the Arts & History Dept. as well as event space. With parking structure included, the budget increased to $50-60M. These budget figures were prior to Safdie gaining the City's attention. Since then, the numbers have ramped up. In addition, "budget" is not the same as "cost" at the end of the day.

michael munfs
If the idea is to put up as much shiny surface material as the city can afford, enclose the Library! and parking lot in an inflated plastic dome.

Colby Spath
If it’s the same as the designs already released there’s a blind 90* right turn in that accessibility which will cause accidents and injuries...

Suzanne Troje
When is the next "public input" opportunity?

I agree with M. Thomas about the city reading all the comments. I'm still waiting for a single reply to any of the points I've raised. They only reply when they have a pat answer they feel makes them look good. Real "additional comments and questions" are ignored.

M. Thomas
Great comments. I wish City Council and the Library planning committee would take the time to read through all of the comments here.

bonnie zimmerman
How many of the in favor of boise spending millions of dollars to highlight boise downtown will ever go to the new library. I live downtown boise. I will go to the library a couple of times a month. My friends and family do not like to come downtown and pay for parking. People from out of town may visit once. We have a library, a history museum, an art gallery, and many locations for conferences. Boise is already a beautiful place, we don’t need someone else’s idea of what we need and what they think is glamorous.we definitely don’t need multiple years of construction ruining the best part of boise, the green belt. What will it look like in a couple of years when we run out of money. It is already too expensive to live in boise,

M. Thomas
Well said! If city leaders were truly invested in maintaining the Cabin's historic designation, there would be no talk of relocating or even encroaching on the Cabin's current space. This entire library campus proposal is out of balance.

Thomas J Beatty
How about above-ground parking, i.e. incorporating parking into the actual design of the building. And if the fire means less cars, you can convert any horizontal parking floors intovadditional library space. I really think any onsite parking solution was dismissed too early in the design process, and would strongly urge the City to take another look. If nothing else, use the 22,000 sq ft going to the Art & History group for parking and let them stay where they are or move into an alternative space. The Boise Library needs its own onsite parking, not some third-party deal across the street that only gives you a maximum of two hours of free parking.

I remain concerned about the arrangements for disabled parking. Even the inadequate amount of on-site parking loojs far enough away from the main entrance that we who are mobility-impaired but not in wheelchairs will be entirely unable to use the facility. Every time I raise the point, the only response is crickets.

M. Thomas
Well said!
Excerpts from FY 2019 budget showing the City's choice to disregard their own prioritization process in favor of this project:
p. 16 "As part of the due diligence process, capital projects are subject to prioritization and must compete for limited resources."
p. 139 "In FY 2017, staff developed a process for prioritizing capital projects, however for the FY 2019 capital plan this process was not employed..."

Also interesting that the 57% vote on the 2006 proposed library bond is so close to the "56% favorable sentiment" reading from the July 2018 open house comments. I was assured by the Library Director during the open house that this library project would not move forward without an "overwhelmingly favorable" sentiment. A sentiment just slightly lower than vote for a failed bond attempt hardly seems "overwhelmingly favorable."

Tammy Bixby
The bottom line is the price is ridiculous over-the-top just amazingly out of touch with what and who Boise is .

M. Thomas
$11,185,236 Let that number sink in. $11,185,236 that was buried in a consent item of a nearly 2000 page agenda packet. $11,185,236 is the amount that Boise City Council just approved for Safdie to continue with architectural services on the proposed $103 million library campus. We are reeling in an affordable housing crisis. We are not flush with cash. We do not have the funding for this project just sitting around. Consider this in another perspective. The City is currently contemplating setting up a Land Trust with $20 million - $10 million from City resources, $10 million from philanthropy. While they think about moves like this to address affordable housing, they move full steam ahead on an amenity project by approving an $11.1 million expenditure for architectural plans. Oh, plus a minimum $650,000 to move a historically registered building (The Cabin) to a new site to make way for river views. Shame on you, City of Boise. Shame on you, Mayor Dave Bieter. Shame, shame on you, Council members Lisa E. Sánchez, Lauren McLean, TJ Thomson, Elaine M Clegg, Holli Woodings, Scott Ludwig.

M. Thomas
Well said! This project requires significant funds that the City does not have therefore causing an assumption of debt, and the people should have a vote on if and how to proceed. Bypassing citizen vote in favor of long-term lease financing is not acceptable!

Alex Jones
Can someone please explain why the city of Boise signed a 45 year lease in 2011 on the property right across 8th St and River St? The library expansion has been on the books since the early 2000s so why did the city give away 1.3 acres to such a long lease? Having this land incorporated into the new library design would alleviate the shoehorn effect and allow space for parking, preservation of the Cabin and the important riparian habitat along the Boise River. This whole library plan needs to go back to the drawing board, because, in spite of the current political climate, use of public funds requires public input and approval. That means open discussion, cost analyses and a public vote on the project. CCDC is not the entity that gets to make up the rules as it goes along anymore.

M. Thomas
Far too late, and expect the same poorly worded and slanted feedback questions designed to elicit the "positive sentiment" the City is using to justify this project.

Thomas J Beatty
Looking forward to the opportunity to make comments on the Schematic Design in the Spring of 2019. However, I am somewhat fearful that it may be too late for any but minor cosmetic changes, i.e. it appears the current design with NO onsite parking and in direct contrast to the aesthetics of surrounding structures. I would like to see some alternatives to the current design. It's a library, not the Guggenheim museum.

Jamie Kaiser
I would like to see a design that is less modern and that fits in better with the aesthetic of Boise.

Ule Gould
I really like the re-use of exiting buildings like Ustick and Collister. We do not need a fancy new building.

David Klinger
A beautiful, modernist design ... that belongs in Barcelona, Spain, or Abu Dhabi. It’s not a fit with an intermountain city, between foothills and river, whose character and culture are wedded in the Oregon Trail. A contemporary, Prairie School design with Frank Lloyd Wright as its inspiration would have blended better with its environment but still provided inspiration and modernism. A structure that “works” works best when it respects its surroundings, topography, scale, and culture.

Sharon Tabor
Should a library be a gateway to a city? Who is asking these questions? I have never visited a local library in any city I have visited over my lifetime. It doesn't mean I don't like libraries, it means I am more likely to visit a museum like our tiny art museum.

Diane Plastino Graves
One of the unconfirmed reports I have heard is that the City is eyeing the block of interesting old buildings on South 8th, where the Foothills School is now, for a parking garage. So tearing down more interesting, historic buildings that give us a sense of place in trade for perhaps another cinderblock parking garage like the one the City egregiously allowed Gardner to build on Front and 12th? (That is a whole other topic...) That doubles the trauma, when considering the unacceptable loss of the Cabin.

Cathy Silak
Parking will be a problem and will adversely impact nearby uses such as the Boise Art Museum and the newly rebuilt Idaho Museum as users vie for spaces. Additional plans for offsite parking will need to progress at the same pace as building the new library.

J Crowe
this building is beautiful but can but can Boise/Boise citizens afford it? On top of the current projected costs, has the city considered the cost of affordable parking for citizens? Has the city considered projected maintenance/utility costs for a south facing wall of windows in our desert climate? And has the City considered the cost of moving the Cabin which is all about the history of our community?

Maria Kauffman
This structure is beautiful but It seems firm has won out over function.I’ve taken my 5.5yo to the library every week since she was an infant. I also recently had knee surgery and have a new awareness of how hard simple errands have become. Reducing onsite parking by 75% and moving parking further away from the library reduces the convenience of the library dramatically and I feel would deter many people from using the main library. I also don’t understand the emphasis on the arts and culture areas. Adding a theater will compound the parking issue. I agree that art should be incorporated into the library, but is a gallery the best use of space when BAM is across the street? Is a theater necessary when JUMP is right around the corner? One of the best features of the main library is the drive through book drop. Will this feature be retained? If you eliminate it are you considering city wide drop of points? I am perplexed the designer simply ignored The Cabin and didn’t incorporate it into the design. Is it necessary to have a large lounging area around the library and on the roof? It feels like overkill and an egregious waste of potential parking and makes it harder for people with disabilities to reach the door. I love that Boise is becoming more cosmopolitan and an upgraded library is overdue. But this library feels unnecessarily extravagant and loses the main function in all the excess.

David Klinger
The new design respects neither the Greenbelt not the Boise River. Its massive, overbearing face overwhelms, rather than complements, its southerly riverfront. A south-facing, four-story glass walled-atrium is setting up a huge temperature control problem — in summer, that facade will be broiling (something that most Boiseans understand, but that maybe Massachusetts architects don’t). A plate-glass, walled front opposite a river corridor heavily used by waterfowl and songbirds has the potential to become a “killing machine” for birds, especially considering how the new library’s rooftop gardens will further lure birds and set up the very real possibility of needless bird strikes, subjecting the City of Boise to possible violation of Federal and state wildlife laws when it is possible to re-orient the new structure to diminish or eliminate such a deficiency. Did the architect spend a morning sitting on the front lawn of “The Cabin” studying the heavy movement of geese, ducks, raptors, and songbirds between the river and Julia Davis Park? If so, he would have understood that plate glass facades are going to create problems.

Diane Plastino Graves
It lords over the river. The glass and concrete are very stern, and are the antithesis of the lush, welcoming riparian environment. Can you imagine how hot that entrance courtyard will be during our routine 95+ degree days?

Dear City of Boise: Your beautiful is getting in the way of the functional aspects. Glass and cement is a mistake we all made in the 80s. It's hot, blinding, impermeable to runoff, and ages badly (both functionally and aesthetically).

Brooke O.
more shade, more trees, less windows/reflection and a more thoughtful timeless design

Ule Gould
Less iconic, more modest

Mary Wallace Dragone
The existing library is great and is paid for! This new space is expensive and appalling. Progress is not always better!

Please don't forget that a lot of onsite parking needs to be disabled-accessible. As a disabled person who can't use a wheelchair, no number of ramps fixes being too far away or running out of disabled-placard spaces.

Kevin Brandt
There is no information about parking, none is shown in the drawings and the in the paper it has been stated that underground parking is cost prohibitive. There is extremely limited off-site parking in this area. I'm concerned that vanity and design has taken first place over function.

Lora Volkert
These parking options sound workable for people like me, but are the 40-50 on-site spaces going to be close enough for patrons who need wheelchair access or otherwise have limited mobility?

Diane Plastino Graves
Can you imagine how hot that concrete plaza would be in our routine 90+ degree days?

Chryssa Rich
No, I think the wall of windows will kill too many birds.

Scott K.
First of all, we are not Salt Lake City, nor should we try to be. There is a lot of wasted space and a lot of concrete in the proposed designs. I'm not sure I would travel by foot, car or bike to a building that doesn't fit in well with its surrounding environment and seems to wall itself off from what makes Boise so nice - 8th street, the river, and views of the Statehouse, Depot, and Foothills.

I second Lynette. My husband worked in an all-glass building for years. 20° F difference between the sunny side and the shady side, and no HVAC system could fix it.

Lynette Daudt
Mitigate = make less severe, serious, or painful. How about a non-all glass design. This is not appropriate design in a century moving toward sustainability. Insulate with thick solid walls. Use solar panels on the roof. Have large windows but not walls of glass.

Alex Takasugi
I would like to see thought and effort put into preventing bird collisions with all the glass window space. The American Bird Conservancy has ideas here: https://abcbirds.org/program/glass-collisions/learn-more/ Check out the "Resources for Architects, Planners and Develpers" section.

Christine King
Oh, I so agree! I really hope The Cabin stays put, but I don't think City Hall considered either the structure or the literary center's future when they contracted with the architectural team.

Brooke O.
absolutely not. it looks like JUMP or the EMP in Seattle. it is not complimentary

This looks like a very well-intentioned terrible idea. As follows: * Your disability access is inadequate, both in distance and in number of parking spaces. * In addition to the cabin, the current library building contributes to the character of the neighborhood, while the new one would destroy it. * Natural light is great, but it's the enemy of books and periodicals. The glare would also interfere with computer use, the other big resource at the library. * Unless you're going 100% LEED, having this much glass will lead to incredible thermal load--you're looking at a 20-degree difference between the sunny side and the shady side that no amount of air conditioning can fix. * Additionally, that "lens" wall will reflect sunlight at certain times of day, creating blinding glare on the greenbelt. * All that pale cement/stone/facing is going to create a terrible heat island effect in the summer. I know there's some rooftop garden planed, but that won't make crossing that entry plaza any less brutal. * The hardscaping will also create substantial runoff issues. * Folks tell me this looks like the Sake Lake City library. Can't we have a library that still looks like Boise? Expand the old building if you can. If not, at least use red brick. * Despite the dimensionality in the architecture, the plan for this building makes the same "urban renewal" mistakes most major cities made in the 80s. Let's learn from them instead. I don't want my kids' taxes paying to clean up this mess in 20 years.