A feedback-gathering campaign for Grand Forks' proposed new public library has received an overwhelming response from the public, many of them apparently supporters.
Susan Mickelson, who chairs the library board, said the feedback she's seen mostly is from people who like the library for one reason or another. She theorized that those folks have a greater motivation to give feedback than the rest of the population.
That's in contrast to the criticism from two sparsely attended public meetings. Critics there said a new library isn't needed and they didn't like the $18.8 million in sales tax needed, even if it would have to be approved in a public vote.
A separate scientific survey of 580 Grand Forks randomly selected residents had also been conducted, but Mickelson hadn't seen any of the responses.
The campaign, which included the public meetings,was paid for by the Community Foundation with a Knight Foundation grant.
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DMD, a Grand Forks consulting firm, is tabulating the results of the feedback, to be presented at a special session of the Grand Forks City Council at 5:30 p.m. Monday. Library supporters want the council to hold a special election in April to get a library sales tax approved. They say the library is overdue for an expansion, but the building is too old and there's no room at the current location near Kmart.
Mickelson said there was so much feedback that consultants had to push back the council presentation a week. It's hard to put a number to the volume, though, because of the variety of ways that the public has responded, from online questionnaires to phone calls to the library, she said.
"It gratified me," said library Director Wendy Wendt. "I'm really pleased. We really wanted to hear from the community." The last she checked there were more than 1,000 comments, she said.
The emphasis from presenters will be on the survey because it more accurately reflects public opinion, according toWendt and Mickelson. The other feedback would help provide more of a qualitative explanation of survey numbers.
For Wendt, the campaign wasn't just about a new library. The money to gather feedback of this kind doesn't come along everyday.
"It's an opportunity to find out more about -- regardless of where the library is -- more of what people want their library to do and be," Wendt said.
Reach Tran at (701) 780-1248; (800) 477-6572, ext. 248; or send e-mail to ttran@gfherald.com .
