A proposed Excelsior Library has survived Hennepin County's 2010 budget-cutting process.
Early in the County Board's budgeting discussions this year, the library was flagged as a project that could be postponed to save money. But the county's $1.6 billion budget approved by commissioners this week includes $600,000 for the purchase of land and continued planning to replace the small Excelsior Library that now shares a building with the Excelsior City Hall.
More money for the project is included in the county's 2011, 2012 and 2013 capital improvement budgets and, if approved by the County Board, a new library could open by the end of 2013, said County Administrator Richard Johnson. "It's still in the program and moving forward."
Where the library would be built, what it would look like, and how much it would cost have yet to be determined, he said.
A county feasibility study of a new library in Excelsior recommended two privately owned sites at 301 and 337 Water St. as promising locations. Chosen from 13 considered, they stood out because of lot size, land cost, ease of access and community visibility, the feasibility study said.
The old library, built in 1965, operates out of cramped quarters and lacks adequate space for library users and workers. The feasibility study recommended against remodeling it because the building would need so much work.
Excelsior residents are happy to hear that money has been set aside for land acquisition, said City Council Member Greg Miller. "Our highest priority is to keep the library in town," he said.
The city has offered a site in its east municipal parking lot, and private sites are available, too, Miller said. "I think there are still many options, and the good news is they allocated funds to acquire a site."
