Pierce County Libraries outlines long-range capital plan, feasibility study for Lakewood branch

Gretchen Casarotti, executive director of Pierce County Libraries, told the Lakewood City Council that the system serves nearly 700,000 people through 19 branches and about 2,000 square miles of county territory. "I'm Gretchen Casarotti, the executive director of Pierce County Libraries," she said as she opened the briefing and described the system's reliance on property-tax revenues.

Casarotti said about 97% of the system's annual revenue is generated by property taxes and that the system's current levy rate is about 33¢ per $1,000 of assessed value. "We serve a lot of people with a little bit, across the county," she said, and added that more than 1,000,000 items are in the systemwide collection. Chris, the operations supervisor at the downtown Lakewood branch, reported Lakewood had about 105,000 visitors last year and roughly 26,500 local cardholders; he said the branch remains a critical access point for technology assistance, job and housing applications, and VA support.

Casarotti described a recently completed 15-month long-range capital-planning process and a Johnson Architects feasibility study for the Wildair property that will be folded into board-level capital planning. "We did complete that, and that is now being folded into our long range planning," she said, summarizing consultant work to model options, costs and site constraints. The system has identified 14 buildings roughly 30 years old that need work; Casarotti said the board will prioritize urgent building-envelope and safety needs before advancing a Lakewood-specific project.

Council members asked about timing, the existing temporary library lease and whether the system would pursue a future levy-lid lift. Casarotti said a permanent replacement within five years would be unlikely without a major new funding source and that any discussion of a levy-lid lift would require board and political conversations. "We don't have $30 to $50 million to construct," she said, noting that funding tools for public libraries are limited. The presentation closed with an offer to share the full feasibility study as a public record and a commitment to return with updates as the system moves through design and board review.