Some of the Seabrook residents who showed up for this week's "groundbreaking" on their new library may have been shocked to learn that there was no money to start work, but Harris County officials say there's never been any money allotted for the project.
Mark Seegers, a spokesman for Harris County Precinct 2, said Commissioner Sylvia Garcia supports building a new library to replace the Evelyn Meador Branch Library, which was knocked out by Hurricane Ike last year. But she doesn't know where the money will come from.
“The problem is there’s no money on the boards for it right now,” Seegers said. “We’re going to have to go find the money.”
Seegers said it was unfortunate that some people started referring to Tuesday’s event as a ground-breaking ceremony. It was billed as such on the Harris County Public Library’s web site, but Seegers said the county just considered the ceremony a "plan unveiling."
Which turned out to be the same library plans presented in January.
“Some people got the wrong impression,” Seegers said.
Seabrook Mayor Gary Renola said he learned only last week that the county didn’t want a groundbreaking ceremony.
“Everyone is disappointed,” Renola said.
The existing Evelyn Meador Branch Library at 2400 N. Meyer Road has been closed since it received 1-1/2 to 2 inches of water inside during Ike. It was so heavily damaged that the county decided not to make repairs.
Harris County residents living around Seabrook, however, took consolation in plans for the construction of a new 20,000-square foot county library. Those plans were in the works long before Ike hit, and Seabrook had even kicked in $1.3 million for design work on the new library, a project approved by city voters back in 2002.
The design work that Seabrook funded is finished, and the project also has the needed permits and is ready to begin construction, Renola said.
Seeger said options for the library's supporters could include federal stimulus funds, fund-raising or grants. The money could also come through a county bond package in the future, Seegers said, although no such referendum is currently planned.
“We don’t have a solution right now, but the way to do it is to keep talking about it and come up with a plan,” Seegers said.
Garcia is well aware of the need for a new Evelyn Meador Branch Library, Seegers said.
“The commissioner is not going to run from it,” he said. “She knows that people are unhappy.”