Zephyrhills opts not to put library in bank building

A study shows the city could gain more space with less hassle by erecting a new building.

By Ebony Windom, Times Correspondent
Published March 11, 2008

ZEPHYRHILLS - Bigger is not always better. At least that was the consensus Monday when the Zephyrhills City Council agreed to abandon its plans to move the city library into a building more than twice its size.

The decision came after the council heard the results of a feasibility study, which outlined costly issues and showed the two-story, 9,500-square-foot Wachovia Bank building in downtown Zephyrhills would not be a good fit for the library.

The existing library, adjacent to Zephyrhills City Hall, is only 4,200 square feet. But the feasibility study showed that the Wachovia Bank building would only offer about 1,600 extra square feet to store books.

A steel beam would need to be built inside the building to support the weight of the books on the second floor. And there was a concern about asbestos and other unforeseen issues, Kathleen Burnside, director of the Library and Museum Services, said at the council meeting.

So the council decided to stick with its original plan to build a 10,000-square-foot library along Eighth Street and Seventh Avenue sometime in the next few years.

In other business, the council approved the idea of waiving up to $300,000 in impact fees for two affordable housing developments - one of which is specifically for the elderly. The developer, Pinnacle Housing Group agreed to return at the next council meeting to present a preliminary site plan for the project. Three council members voted for the concept of waiving fees; council member Daniel Burgess Jr. voted no.

The council voted unanimously to allow the owners of two adjacent mobile home parks to defer their utility connection fees up to 21/2 years. The parks are currently under contract for sale provided all utilities on the property be in good working condition.

[Last modified March 10, 2008, 21:58:06]