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South End residents press council for timeline as South End Library remains in design
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Summary
Friends of the South End Library and councilors told the Ways and Means Committee they want a construction timeline after design work; city staff said design is nearly complete but an alley/trash‑access issue must be resolved before bidding and construction.
Multiple councilors and two leaders of the Friends of the South End Library told the committee on April 14 that the neighborhood needs clearer timelines and communications for the library project, which residents say has lingered at a design stage for years.
Yvette Jarrow, leader of the Friends of the South End Library, told the committee she reviewed the capital plan and sees $750,000 remaining this fiscal year, $1,000,000 planned for next year and $29.8 million across later years. "When is our building going to start construction?" she asked on the record. She added the neighborhood has not had a community meeting about the project since May 28, 2025 and said residents are unhappy about the lack of communication.
Marlene Nienhuis, founding president of the Friends organization, said the community has waited years and urged the city to accelerate the schedule. "We have been without a library for 4 years," she said, and appealed to councilors to press for faster action.
Administration response
Chief of Operations Dion Irish told the committee the library design is nearing completion and the administration remains committed to the project. He said the remaining technical issue involves truck and trash access through an alley that abuts the site; the design team and Public Works have tested options and are reviewing solutions. "We're wrapping up the design, and we're gonna be working with a neighborhood coordinator to set up a community meeting so we can meet with the residents and the elected officials," Irish said.
Why it matters
Residents who depend on the library for services and programming said the delay has tangible effects on access to books, meeting space and community programming. Councilors asked staff to provide specific milestones (design completion, bidding, demolition, construction start) and to return with a clearer schedule so neighbors can track progress.
Next steps
Staff said they expect to conclude the remaining design work in the near term, to provide a report to councilors and to schedule a public meeting. The alley access design work was flagged as the gating item before bidding and demolition can begin.
