Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves blue‑ribbon ad hoc committee to guide reuse of former library site after broad community outreach
Summary
After a community engagement effort that drew more than 200 survey responses and ~50 open‑house attendees, the Gladstone City Council approved using that report to guide next steps and directed staff to form a blue‑ribbon ad hoc committee to develop RFP scoring criteria for reuse or disposition of the former library property.
Economic development consultant John Legarza presented the community engagement report for the former Gladstone library site, saying staff and volunteers collected input at Music on the Greens, by survey on the city's website and door‑to‑door outreach. Legarza said the outreach yielded over 200 respondents and nearly 50 attendees at an open house; recurring themes included interest in youth programming, arts and culture, small business opportunities and some support for senior or workforce housing.
Councilors raised questions about funding and whether the ad hoc committee would be creating concepts or only scoring criteria for an RFP. City Attorney Chad Jacobs explained that the committee’s role would be to help develop selection/scoring criteria for an RFP and advise a selection committee; the city would not be required to fund a developer’s proposal and could reassess if no viable proposals are received. Several councilors said the condition of the building and parking boundaries will factor into any scoring. A member of the public, Kiva Antilla, spoke about youth mental‑health needs and urged the council to prioritize inclusive spaces for teens. Councilor Garlington moved to accept the community engagement report and direct staff to form the ad hoc committee and return a proposed membership list in October; the motion passed by roll call.
