Does Concord Need a Library Downtown?

A developer from Vermont is competing with Concord developer Steve Duprey for the right to construct a project at the New Hampshire Employment Security building on South Main Street, according to the Concord Monitor.

The report last week stated that ReArch Co. of South Burlington has submitted a proposal for a mixed-use development, including housing and meeting or conference space. Duprey has reportedly proposed a market-rate housing complex, somewhere in the 30- to 50-unit range. 

Since Patch first reported that the city had requested a right of first refusal for the building, officials have been mostly silent about the project.

Matt Walsh, the city’s assistant for special projects, confirmed in August that the Concord City Council held a nonpublic session to discuss the project after receiving proposals in late May, after an extension of the RFP process. In the Monitor article, some councilors reportedly confirmed that two proposals were being eyed.

Requests for proposals from both developers also include a potential library component for the project but in the article, Illick stated that he had heard doubts about Concord’s ability to afford a new library. 

While the specifics of both proposals aren’t known, a library in a potential new building would create some form of a rental agreement between the city and the developer whereas the current library is owned outright by the community. The city will pay $1.75 million to the state for the building. The RFP for the projects requested the development be a public-private partnership. The cost the city paid for the building could be offset by a library rental agreement.

Concord officials have been looking at moving the library downtown in an effort to accomplish two things: 1) build a state-of-the-art facility for the city, and 2) reuse the current library space as part of a redevelopment of the City Hall complex. The city also purchased a home on Prince Street which is now being leased to the housing authority for future, potential use.

At the same time, the announced upcoming retirement of Patricia Immen allows for a fresh set of eyes to come into one of the city’s most popular departments to see if the current facility could be revamped for efficiency and the changing role a library plays in a community. Would hiring an inexpensive space-needs consultant to look at the current facility be a good place to start? 

What do you think? Does Concord need a new library downtown? Or, should the current library building get another look in the wake of new leadership coming into the department? Leave a note in the comment section of this post.