Library Finally Owns Land that Was Center of Suit with Village

More than a decade after it first tried to buy the parking lot east of its building, the Plainfield Public Library District finally owns the land considered key to its future expansion, Library Director Julie Milavec said.

And in closing the deal, there's an end to a strange, acrimonious chapter in Plainfield's history when library district officials found themselves facing off in court against the village over ownership rights to the 13,500-square-foot lot off Route 59, Milavec said.

Milavec called the actions of both sides in the late 1990s "really heinous and bad publicity moves" that were carried out by elected officials and staff members who no longer work for the village or district. The battle stemmed from promises made by the village to downtown landowners that clashed with the district's desire to acquire the site, she said.

"It's always been our intention to expand this building (using the space provided by the lot)," she said.

Although the district hasn't been able to pass a construction tax increase — the most recent effort failed in April 2009 — the library board will discuss its options again at the Sept. 15 meeting, Milavec said. The soonest another referendum question would be on the ballot is April 2011, she said.

In the meantime, the newly acquired lot — located a short distance from the rear of Baci's restaurant — will be seal-coated and striped over the Labor Day weekend, Milavec said. It will also be open to the non-library patrons, and the village has agreed to erect a sign directing drivers to it from Route 59, she said.

Milavec said the dispute over the property began in the late 1990s, when the library district learned the property was for sale. The district's appraisal was lower than the one done by the owners, so the library board made a purchase bid that was higher than its appraisal but lower than the owners' appraisal, she said.

When it was turned down, the district began eminent domain proceedings to have a judge set a sale price. Before that happened, however, the village bought the site for the owners' asking price, Milavec said.

Apparently, village officials — unbeknownst to library officials — had promised downtown landowners they would never have to worry about losing their property through condemnation, she said.

"The village said we can't let this happen after we promised it wouldn't, so they made an offer for the full (asking) price," Milavec said.

The library district sued the village, and the matter ended up in court. The judge's ruling, she said, was that the library pay $50,000 in earnest money, the village use the lot for 10 years and then the library buy the site from the village for $175,000, she said.

That last step is what has just occurred, she said.

If the library district had been successful in passing the April 2009 tax referendum, the village would have let the library district exercise the purchase option earlier. However, the issue did not pass, done in by the bad economy and the fact the election coincided with spring break, when many families were out of town, Milavec said.

If the district goes for another referendum, officials will likely ask for something similar to what they sought in 2009 — enough money to expand the existing library, build a new branch library on the village's north side and provide income to cover operating costs for the new facility, she said.

Based on usage, it's believed that about 100,000 square feet in new space is needed, Milavec said. Since 2000, district population has increased 58 percent, library cards are up 212 percent, circulation is up 237 percent, children's program attendance is up 700 percent and adult program attendance is up 3,358 percent, she said.

"Libraries in general try to build for 20 years, which is the typical length of a bond issue," she said. "We've tried to anticipate 20 years of needs."

This time around it might be an easier sell because the library tax rate will be dropping when the bonds are paid off this year, she said. The current tax rate will decrease from .1926 per $100 of equalized assessed valuation to .1421, she said. Had the last referendum been approved, the tax rate would have climbed to .3301, she said.