Grand Forks Library Board leaders know a lot of people want to come to this month's meeting, when extensive research on the future of the city's library will be presented to the public for the first time.
That's why library officials have decided to move their normal meeting set for May 18 at the Grand Forks Public Library to 5:30 p.m. May 19 at Grand Forks City Hall's Council Chambers.
Library Board members said the move will ensure there will be enough room for those who want to enjoy.
"This is a communitywide decision, and we understand the importance of getting information out to the public," board member Corey Mock said. "City Hall provides us the opportunity not only for more people to attend but for us to broadcast the meeting to the community."
Though no decisions are expected to be made at the meeting, Library Board leaders will review the results of months of research, including a report from JLG architects, on where they might build a library location-either at a downtown location or at a "midtown" location near the Grand Cities Mall.
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Members of the public, including advocates for a downtown or midtown location, are expected to be allotted time to speak, though Library Board Chairman Brian Schill said the board can't stay there all night.
"We don't want to get too carried away," Schill said. "... there's been lots of opportunity for public input over several years. We want public input, but after a certain point we want to say, 'Alright, we need to make a decision now.'"
A decision on the future of the library is expected to be made and forwarded to the City Council for review by the time the board meets in June, which both Mock and Schill said could also be moved from its time slot on June 15 to accommodate public interest.
Library Board member Bret Weber said in an ideal world, the Library Board will be able to recommend a specific plot of land for the future site of the library. However, he said it's important to keep in mind the information in the report might not be enough to make a clear decision right away; it might be necessary to forward the information to the City Council for review.
"If we get information that makes it black and white, and there's no point in screwing around-that one location wins and one location loses-then we'll forward that on," Weber said.
Even if library and city officials choose between a midtown and downtown location, it's harder to say at this point whether a specific address for the library will be recommended, Mock said.
"The hope is that we can have as many concrete details available at the earliest convenience," he said, "But since we're talking about land acquisition, and since the Library Board can't purchase the land, I don't know how specific we can be before we talk to the City Council."
