he Haines Borough Assembly unanimously voted last month to postpone a decision on whether or not to include assembly chambers in the library expansion project until a full assembly is seated.
Earlier this year, the assembly voted to spend $30,000 to find out how much such an expansion would cost. At its regular meeting on Sept. 24, library board member Margaret Friedenauer told the assembly it would cost at least $675,000 to include the assembly chambers in the expansion project.
“That is if the project went to construction next year. However we anticipate needing a few years to raise the funds to being construction on the original design,” Friedenauer said. “Or at least enough to begin a phased project which means the cost could come in higher by the time it did go to construction.”
Friedenauer told the assembly the library board did not offer a recommendation, but only noted the pros and cons of such a design. She said a larger community room for assembly members would be conducive to public engagement, but that the cost might be too much to bear for a project that half the assembly opposed last January. Mayor Jan Hill broke the tie vote in favor of spending the money for the design.
At Tuesday’s meeting, assembly member Stephanie Scott voted to postpone the decision until the new assembly was seated.