Former trustee on library issue

As a former Flathead County Library trustee, I would like to briefly discuss my position on the Tidyman's property in downtown Kalispell as a potential library location.

When Tidyman's first surfaced as a possibility, my reaction was negative. Then I started thinking and realized it indeed had potential. But at the same time, I kept an open mind on other possibilities. Trustee Bob Lopp brought up relocating the library to the community college. So we explored that alternative, as well.

Even in the light of Flathead Valley Community College's commitment for free land, I felt it was important to remain objective until more thoughtful consideration and investigations had been done, and I sincerely felt a true facilities-planning process needed to be undertaken, looking at all of the facilities county-wide and not limited to just the Kalispell branch.

However, before we could even get a true facilities-planning process underway, we were forced to make a decision on Tidyman's in October 2007. The public may have the mistaken perception that in the fall of 2007, the trustees were going to vote between FVCC and Tidyman's, an either-or decision. That is not a true picture, nor was that what happened.

The trustees took two actions regarding Tidyman's — first to reject a proposal from a developer that was not in the library's best interest, followed up by deciding to not show further interest in that particular property for a broad range of reasons, among them the petroleum contamination existing on the property. At no time did we take any action to indicate FVCC was a preferred choice.

One significant component affecting my vote on this property was in fact the liability associated with soil contamination. Some trustees held a view that the contamination was no big deal. The difference between them and myself was in the degree to which we were comfortable in exposing the taxpayers to potential liability, a liability that could become quite spendy.

My comfort level dictated that even if there was a very remote likelihood of the library getting involved in remediation of contamination, my obligation to the people I represent would require me to vote against acquiring the property.

My vote was not anti-library, nor was it anti-downtown Kalispell, as has been portrayed by some. It was strictly doing what trustees are obligated to do — vote to the best of their ability based on their knowledge and experience to protect the public's interest.

Following that vote, I worked very hard to put in place a comprehensive facilities-planning process intended to reveal the very best choices we could make, not as individuals, but as trustees and as a community.

My hope is that the new trustees will not short-circuit that planning process and willy-nilly consider one site, and one site only. My sincere hope is that they will truly work through a true comprehensive planning process that will take the library not just through the next few years, but provide for the county's needs for many decades to come.

Jerry Hanson, of Whitefish, is a former library trustee.