Williamsburg City Council urged to move forward with construction of $26M library amid ongoing regional contract negotiations

WILLIAMSBURG – An evaluation committee recommended that the City of Williamsburg move forward with construction of a new downtown library building, but the logistics are complex given the regional nature of the library system.

The recommendation, which calls for a new 50,000-square-foot library to replace the existing Scotland Street building, was made during a Williamsburg City Council work session last week.

Established at the request of City Council, the Library Evaluation Committee consists of several city officials as well as the Friends of
Williamsburg Regional Library (WRL) and other library staff members and stakeholders.

Community input sessions and an online survey offered in May were carried out by the city to gauge resident perceptions surrounding the construction of a new library.

More than 250 local residents participated in the input sessions, and 850 people weighed in on the survey. Among survey respondents, 25% were residents of the city while the remaining 75% were citizens of James City and York County.

If the new library is built, a significant number of respondents said they would like to see a larger theater and increased access to the Makerspace, an area designated for craft projects such as sewing and 3D printing.

Residents also pushed for designated silent areas and increased services and support for teens, tweens and homeschoolers.

Proponents of the new building argue that the downtown library cannot continue to effectively serve the community in its existing location.
Nina Simone, chair of the WRL Board of Trustees, said the current library “has reached the end of its lifespan,” particularly because the population of the community has doubled since the building’s last expansion.

“This building will not be able to serve the next generation as an energetic community partner and tireless innovator,” Simone said. “We believe strongly that we must have a vision now to ensure our continued excellence in the future.”

Sandy Towers, WRL’s director, underscored that the downtown library essentially serves as the headquarters of the regional system. The location brings people to the area daily, which provides important benefits for the city, she said.

Mayor Douglas Pons expressed support for the proposal, calling Williamsburg’s library “the heartbeat of the community.” Nonetheless, he added that the decision is complicated by the library’s longstanding partnerships with the other two Historic Triangle localities.

The city must weigh the fact that James City County is simultaneously planning to build an additional library of its own in the next few years, Pons said. That library is expected to be integrated into the county’s proposed new $238M government center.

Additionally, York County has pushed back against mounting spending on the library system. In June, the county’s Board of Supervisors sent out a notice stating that they would pull out of the existing WRL agreement unless the contract was renegotiated. District 1 Supervisor Doug Holroyd said at the time that the library’s operating costs were getting out of hand.

Some community members have also pointed out that the $26 million cited price tag for the library is only a pre-construction design estimate.

During a public comment session, local resident Robert Wilson expressed concerns about the cost of the project, saying that final total could be in the $40 – $51 million range once equipment and debt service costs are factored in.

Pons said building a new, larger library would only make sense if the other counties stayed in the contract. He argued that if the current agreement falls apart, a 50,000-square-foot library would far exceed the need of City of Williamsburg residents alone.

“We are in an interesting spot when we consider this new library because we’ve been in this regional system for many years,” Pons said. “James City County has asked to revisit the agreement with the library and York County has taken a position.”

“There would be more space than we would need [and] there are operational expenses that come along with that,” Pons added.
Towers said that all three jurisdictions will be meeting this month to carry out further discussions regarding the current library system agreement.

Nonetheless, Towers acknowledged it is “time to take a look at some of the provisions” in the contract, “to make sure it’s fair for all of the parties involved.”