Right after a throng checks out the new Upper Tampa Bay Library, the drumbeat for expansion money begins.
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times Staff Writer
Published January 14, 2005
WESTCHASE - Supporters of the Upper Tampa Bay Library, ecstatic over a wildly successful grand opening last weekend, have wasted no time in seeking to expand.
They have asked lawmakers for another $1.85-million to nearly double the building's size. Several, including state Reps. Kevin Ambler and Faye Culp, have agreed to sponsor the budget request.
"We've always said we need a 25,000-square-foot building," said Maureen Gauzza, president of Friends of the Upper Tampa Bay Library. "It's always good to ask. Maybe there will be money this year."
When planned, the library's targeted population was 66,173, without counting apartments or unoccupied houses, library foundation president Brett Scharringhausen said. Now, the population living in the area is closer to 100,000, and that doesn't include neighbors or commuters from Pinellas and Pasco counties, he said.
"You always have to plan for what's going on," Scharringhausen said.
Saturday's huge turnout for the opening day ceremonies offered ample testament that the need exists, Ambler said.
"It was the largest gathering for a library opening in Hillsborough County," he said. "The fact is, the day they opened, they were already too small."
Over time, Culp said, the library will seem increasingly cramped, as more new subdivisions pop up. The existing 15,000-square-foot building represented a first step, not a final one, she said.
Branch librarian Jodi Cohen, still reeling from the long lines of people wanting to check out books or get new library cards, said it was too early for her to know if patrons need more space.
But Culp noted that the legislative process to get money takes time, so it's never too early to start.
Gauzza figured the library will eventually get bigger. The county bought plenty of land for growth, she noted, and the construction team put an expandable roof on top.
And she'll gladly show you the two seams that were put in the back wall so it can be removed easily for an addition.
"There is a (county) list of libraries that have to be expanded, updated," Gauzza said. "We are on that list. We were talking about 10,000 (additional) square feet. We might need to ask for 15,000."
Ambler, for one, was sold.
He talked about how more than 400 people "inundated" the library on its first day, and said it seemed clear the building needs more meeting rooms and computer stations. Then he spoke of the state's low level of funding for parks, libraries and other quality-of-life amenities in the past few years.
"The public says, "This is how we want our tax dollars spent,' " Ambler said. "It's not just about universal prekindergarten or widening the roads."
With an anticipated $60-billion state budget surplus, he suggested the time has come to make such investments.
The local legislative delegation is expected to talk about the request when it meets on Jan. 19 in Tampa.
Culp guessed the idea might be a long shot. But if you don't ask, she said, you don't get anything.
Gauzza remained cheerfully optimistic.
"We're going to need good luck," she said. "But I think we've had good luck so far."
