LYNN HAVEN — In 113 years, the Elizabeth King McMullin Library has served a few different purposes. It was the second permanent library in Bay County, a book club meeting place, a home for summer programs and even a gym for Lynn Haven police officers.
Now, the building does not serve a purpose. No one can even go inside.
“Unsafe. Do not enter,” is taped to the western door, a City of Lynn Haven seal confirming it as an official decree.
Just on the exterior there are numerous problems, the most glaring of which is a hole in the southwest corner of the wall facing Ninth Street. The wood siding is splintered, the white paint chipped. Most of the windows are covered with plywood, needing replacement panes. It’s showing every bit of the wear of a 100-year-old structure.
“It needs some TLC, but it can be useful,” said Frances Wittkopf, a former city commissioner and county librarian. She is part of the Lynn Haven Heritage Society.
The city owns the property. Mayor Walter Kelley and Commissioner Roger Schad both said they are waiting for talks to continue between City Manager Joel Schubert, Community Redevelopment Agency Director Ben Janke and the Lynn Haven Heritage Society. The talks have stalled because of questions about how to pay for it.
“The city manager is working with that group and until he comes back to us with a recommendation I can’t really talk about it,” Schad said. “Nobody on the commission has a position for or against.”
Representing the Lynn Haven Heritage Society, Wittkopf has been the most vocal advocate of renovating the old library. She said there are volunteers prepared to work on the building. Many residents want to help, want to see it invigorated.
“We don’t want to see it go away,” Wittkopf said.
Even with volunteer labor, she expects the project to cost at least $100,000. Schubert said it may cost $125,000. There are a few options for the renovation:
-The city could pay for everything.
-The city could apply for a historical preservation grant with the Florida Department of State.
-The city could use CRA funding to pay for the renovation.
-Through the CRA, the city could apply for a preservation grant.
-The city could donate the building to the heritage society
Schubert has two main concerns. The first is if volunteer labor is used, how does the city reconcile its considerable liability risk? He said having volunteers sign a waiver is not enough protection against lawsuits.
Schubert said he was consulting with an insurance broker for the answer. One way to solve that problem is by using professionals, city employed or otherwise, to do the work, but that raises cost.
The second concern for Schubert is budgetary. There are city buildings that need capital improvements — City Hall, a fire station building, animal shelter and the former office of the tax collector — that are all functioning city properties.
“There are at least five buildings that have roof issues. If we don’t address (City Hall) immediately the cost down the line increases,” Schubert said. “With the library, it’s going to be the same amount two or three years from now.”
Even though Lynn Haven has a budget just upwards of $20 million, these other building needs make using CRA funding more appealing. The CRA plan includes historical preservation as a use of CRA money. But, the CRA has a budget of $547,589. CRA director Janke has the same issue using CRA funding as Schubert does with city money.
“The goal of working on CRA projects is to increase the taxable value of the CRA. Right now (the library) has zero value on the tax roll,” Janke said. “It has an emotional value. People have known the building for many years. A historic preservation grant might be an option.”
According to the Department of State website, there are already 28 projects on a priority list for 2015. Many of those projects have a price range in the millions of dollars. The city would have to apply between Sept. 1 and Oct. 31.
The earliest a preservation grant can be reviewed would be in January. The earliest money could be available would be July 2015. The grant would be matching, again requiring the city or CRA to put funding into the project.
There is one more option. The city has discussed donating or selling the property to the Heritage Society. The Heritage Society has experience renovating projects. They renovated Roberts Hall, located at Florida Avenue and Ninth Street, a building that is at least twice as large, including a second story. If they owned the property, they would have the ability to apply for a historic preservation grant as a nonprofit.
“It needed a lot more work than this one needs,” Wittkopf said. “It had holes in the floor. We raised funds, begged and borrowed money. We did some projects.”
Roberts Hall looks relatively new. White siding, red trim and the old-west style facade — slender white pillars and large shop windows — stand out in downtown.
The library looks like it’s decaying from the inside out and it looks like it’s going to stay that way for a while.