Jasper Library Board lays South Newton location to rest; Hewitt promises new direction by March

The Jasper Public Library Board met Thursday afternoon and put a final end to the plans for the library on the south Newton Street property.

Library Board attorney Bill Shaneyfelt told the board that they still had an option on the land per the original agreement with Ruhe Excavating and they could either exercise the option to purchase the property or vote to terminate the agreement completely.

Board member Dean Vonderheide made a motion to terminate the agreement and it was seconded by Jim Seifert. The board then voted unanimously to accept the motion which terminated the lease.

As to future plans, Library Board President Bill Hewitt would not answer with certainty which direction the board would take when he was asked about it during the public part of the meeting. Shaneyfelt told the board that if they needed to create another referendum vote for the fall of 2012, the board would need to make decisions on the plans in the first quarter of the year to make sure that they can get the ballot initiative added for next November.

Hewitt reported that they should have a direction by the end of the first quarter of 2012.

After the meeting, the board held an executive session to discuss future plans for a new library. It has not been reported by the board what options they are considering, but rumors are circulating about a building in downtown Jasper coming available, which seems like an almost perfect fit for the library and at a much lower cost than building a new facility.