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Church would be ideal for new library quarters

Three years ago, as consultants compiled a long-term plan to expand Pasco County's library system, one message came through loud and clear from Dade City patrons: Keep the Hugh Embry Library downtown.

A librarian's appropriate response? Shhhh!

The idea seemed unworkable. The 7,200-square-foot building is out of space, and the ability to grow at its current spot is difficult.

But this week, at the urging of Commissioner Ted Schrader, Pasco County began working to obtain a new downtown location for the county library. It is a site that, if acceptable, will double as the county's information technology center and provide space for other county departments as well. It's a grand idea that potentially will put two government-owned buildings into private ownership and onto the property tax rolls.

This week, commissioners instructed their staff to begin negotiations to acquire the First Baptist Church of Dade City. The church bought land north off State Road 52 just west of the city and plans to move there in the next couple of years.

The church's current home is nearly 41,000 square feet. Its red brick exterior is visible from Meridian Avenue as visitors to the city arrive on SR 52, and the sloped aisle to the sanctuary inside is familiar to the regular congregation and the annual visitors during Church Street Christmas.

The location is particularly attractive. The 2.66 acres fill a city block south of 14th Street between Meridian and Church avenues. It has ample parking, and the traffic light at 14th and Meridian helps ease pedestrian access from neighborhoods to the north.

Due diligence is required. The county acknowledged any sales agreement would be tentative pending an appraisal and an audit to determine if the building's interior can accommodate the required layout of a library and computer center.

The building has an estimated replacement cost of $2.6-million, according to Pasco property appraisal records. The county already has $2.25-million budgeted for a new information technology center, money that could be used to help offset the purchase of the church.

After renovations are complete, the county would be able to sell the current Hugh Embry Library. The proximity of that building to the County Courthouse gives it appeal as a potential site for a law office. The county also would move its current information technology operations from a nondescript building on Meridian Avenue and could sell that structure as well.

The potential byproduct of adding to the tax rolls, though, is just a bonus. Keeping the library downtown, amid the private homes and houses of worship along Church Avenue, will help maintain that neighborhood's ambience while sustaining public accessibility to a vital community asset.

A 2002 consultant's report recommended the Hugh Embry Library expand to 12,000 square feet because of the population it serves. The nearest library is 9 miles away in Zephyrhills, and the county's long-range plans could include a county library in San Antonio/St. Leo.

"Because of the distance to other library facilities, the Hugh Embry Library fills an especially important role for Dade City area residents," the consultant's report stated.

The building is undersized, though the staff has done an admirable job to accommodate 50,000 volumes, 42 percent more books that normally could be expected at a 7,200-square-foot building. The church building, nearly six times the size of the Hugh Embry Library, would make crowding a thing of the past.

Though no commissioners mentioned preservation, the church was built in 1955 and this year becomes eligible for designation as a county historical site. That, too, is a bonus.

Preserving a piece of Dade City's history, maintaining the Hugh Embry Library's downtown presence and expanding its role as a community focal point are worthy pursuits for Pasco County.

[Last modified May 29, 2005, 01:05:19]