The Dakota County Board's vote to approve a construction bid and contract has cemented plans for a new, county-operated South St. Paul library to be located by the high school, ending a yearslong debate over the library's ideal location and who should run it.
The decision to proceed with the $11.3 million project wasn't without controversy, as the county board voted 4-2 Tuesday morning with one commissioner joining the meeting on Zoom but not able to vote.
"We're thrilled — it's been a long time in the works," said South St. Paul Mayor Jimmy Francis. "We are worth the investment and will be great stewards of the library."
The new building, to be built at the corner of Marie and Seventh avenues, will replace the existing Colonial-style library near City Hall, four blocks away. That library is owned and run by South St. Paul, making it one of just a few city-operated libraries in the metro and the only one in Dakota County.
Under the new arrangement, the county will own and operate the library.
"We should've done everything we could to save our existing library," said Lois Glewwe, a local historian who led a campaign to save and remodel the old building. "I just think it's a terrible travesty."
Glewwe said the effort is also too expensive, unnecessary and will create traffic jams when school ends each day. The new library won't have the small-town, personal feeling patrons liked, she said, adding that she believes the old building will eventually be torn down.
Francis said the city is committed to finding a new use for the building and has seen interest from the private sector and internally from the parks and recreation department.