Rockrimmon Library Lease Decision

Rockrimmon Library Exterior Entrance

PPLD Board Of Trustees Documents Regarding the Facilities Master Plan and Rockrimmon Library Lease Decision

Published on Fri., Nov. 15, 2024

Included herein is information and links to documents detailing the research and findings for the Facilities Master Plan (FMP) that led to the PPLD Board of Trustees’ decision to not renew the lease for the Rockrimmon Library space. Included are the following:

  • PPLD Board of Trustees Meeting packets, minutes, and links to meeting videos from June 19, 2024, to present
  • PPLD’s 2025 Preliminary Budget
  • A Dropbox link to all the Facilities Master Plan documents – draft FMP reports, final FMP report, survey questions and answers, presentations on facilities issues at Rockrimmon Library, etc.
  • Facilities Master Plan Public Communication Summary
  • Links to statements made by the Board of Trustees regarding the lease decisions

The PPLD Board of Trustees and Pikes Peak Library District offers this information to provide clarity and answers to the many questions they have received regarding the process that led to the decision.

–  PPLD Board of Trustees
 

Click to expand box:

Information Packet of PPLD Board of Trustees Documents Regarding the Facilities Master Plan and Rockrimmon Library Lease Decision

PIKES PEAK LIBRARY DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES – BOARD MEETING PACKETS, MINUTES, AND VIDEO RECORDINGS INVOLVING ROCKRIMMON LIBRARY DECISION AND/OR DISCUSSION

Board Meeting – June 19

Board Meeting – July 17

Board Meeting – August 21

Board Meeting - September 18

Board Retreat – September 27

To address questions about the District’s Reserve Balance of $16M, the $16M Unrestricted Fund Balance comprises three components: Assigned, Committed, and Unassigned Funds. The Unassigned Fund Balance from PPLD’s most recent audit totaled about $14.1M.  This is the only component of the three that PPLD’s Board of Trustees has the latitude to allocate to future District needs, both foreseen and unforeseen.

For decades, the District has followed the best practice of reserving 1 - 3 months of Operating Expenses. The Board has leaned toward maintaining a three-month reserve, given the recent economic environment. Operating Expense reserves are kept to address downturns in the economy and sudden shortfalls in revenue.  This Operating Expense reserve is kept in the Unassigned Fund Balance. The Operating Expenses for 2025 are currently estimated to be $37.1M.  A three-month reserve on this number is about $9.3 M, and subtracting this amount from the Unassigned Fund Balance would leave the Board with $4.8M to work with for other District needs.

The District has deferred maintenance, repairs, and equipment replacement at various facilities for years, including allocating no new dollars to our Capital Funds for 2023 and 2025.  The Library allocated $2.7M in Property Taxes to Capital Funds for 2024. For the 2025 Budget cycle, the District’s total capital needs amount to $5.9M.  This amount is large due to mounting deferred and new needs for Capital spending.  To address the highest priority items and issues identified in the Facilities Master Plan just completed, it is estimated that it would cost the District about $2.5M. If the Board decides to allot $2.5M (which is 42% of our current estimated total capital needs for 2025), this amount would be drawn out of the District’s Unassigned Fund Balance, leaving approximately $2.3M in the Unassigned Fund Balance. The PPLD’s governing body, Board of Trustees, reserves reductions to the Unassigned Fund Balance to one-time expenditures or individual capital emergencies, not recurring operating expenses.  Their expectation is that the Library operates within its annual means and has a balanced budget that does not dip into our reserves for operational expenses, as deficit spending is not sustainable.
 

Internal Affairs Committee Meeting

Board Meeting – October 16

LINK TO DROPBOX FOLDER CONTAINING:

  • Facilities Update - Rockrimmon Library Facilities Issues Presentation
  • PPLD Workshop Read-Ahead Summary
  • Preliminary Facilities Master Plan Preliminary Draft – April 2024
  • Preliminary Facilities Master Plan – June 2024
  • Final Facilities Master Plan
  • Optimized Facilities Master Plan
  • Appendix D FCA Prioritized Requirements
  • Appendix E Energy Assessment Findings
  • Facilities Master Plan Design Guide Prelim Outline
  • Draft Facilities Master Plan Survey
  • Facilities Master Plan Survey (Spanish and English versions) – October 2023
  • Facilities Master Plan Survey (Spanish and English versions) – February 2024

FACILITIES MASTER PLAN COMMUNICATION WITH THE PUBLIC

Communication with the public was crucial to determining recommendations and the way forward for Pikes Peak Library District to remain sustainable.

Public Survey: PPLD kicked off the communication with a public survey that received 2,631 responses total. The survey was open to the public in the months of October 2023 and February 2024. More detailed information about the results and the impressions from the survey’s responses can be found on pages 6 - 11 of the Facilities Master Plan. The survey itself can be found in the final report starting on page 81.

Public Input Sessions: PPLD held six public input sessions (4 for the general public and 2 for community leaders) during which the consultant held discussions with the public in multiple locations and virtually to allow flexibility for the community to participate. The dates of these sessions and a summary of the responses can be found on page 13 of the Facilities Master Plan.

Intercept Events: As another part of community engagement, PPLD participated in 20 outreach activities and intercept events throughout El Paso County. PPLD hosted tables at each event with large poster boards with several pictures of different possible features for the libraries. Patrons were asked to place stickers on the pictures that interested them the most.

Approximately 1,122 voters cast 4,487 votes. The details of these events can be found on page 12 of the Facilities Master Plan.

Additionally, the consultants held staff input sessions and conducted a staff survey which also provided some insight into the public’s wants and needs. The results of these items can be found on pages 14 - 17 of the Facilities Master Plan.

The preliminary Facilities Master Plan report was presented during the June 19 Board of Trustees Meeting. The presentation was recorded and hosted on PPLD’s YouTube Channel, and a link was posted on PPLD’s website with a summary of the findings. This posting was promoted via social media.

The final Facilities Master Plan report was discussed during the Oct. 8 Internal Affairs meeting.

Communications Summary:

  • 4 public input sessions
  • 2 elected officials/community leader sessions
  • 4 staff sessions
  • 2 Surveys (Oct. 2023, Feb. 2024) – 2,631 responses
  • 20 intercepts (outreach) events – 1,122 voters

Public Input Sessions: Discussed needs, likes, dislikes, wish lists for the Library District

  • February 14, 2 - 3 p.m. at Western Museum of Mining & Industry
  • February 21, 10 - 11 a.m. at Care & Share
  • February 27, 6 - 7 p.m. at Ruth Holley Library
  • February 29, 6 - 7 p.m. Virtual
  • Promoted in the following ways:
    • Notice on the home page of the ppld.org website
    • PPLD Newsletter that goes to 130,000+ active email addresses
    • Fliers
      • All Library locations
      • Sand Creek Library and Ruth Holley Library stuffed fliers in the hold books to promote the Ruth Holley session and virtual session
    • Social Media:
      • Facebook Main PPLD Page
        • (3 posts, 4 event listings)
        • Paid advertising – Feb. 5 - 19 and Feb. 22 - 29
      • Instagram (4 posts)
      • LinkedIn (2 posts)
      • NextDoor (3 posts, 3 event listings)
      • X (Twitter – 4 posts)
    • Paid advertising
      • ¼ page ad in The Gazette on Feb. 11
      • Email blast to 25,000 emails 
    • Promoted with the PPLD February survey solicitation 
    • PPLD also sent 9,000 emails promoting the input sessions

Elected Officials/ Community Leaders Input Sessions: Discussed needs, likes, dislikes, wish lists for the Library District

  • February 14, 10 - 11 a.m. at Library 21c
  • February 21, 2 - 3 p.m. at Library 21 c
  • Promoted by an email invitation to all leaders 

Staff Input Sessions

  • November 17 at Library 21c
  • November 9 at Penrose Library and Sand Creek Library
  • December 7 at Penrose Library

PPLD Survey – 2,631 Total responses (More than double the responses previous PPLD surveys have received.)

  • October 3 - November 5 
  • February 1 - February 28 
  • Promoted in the following ways:
    • 24” x 37” A-frame/Sandwich board posters in the libraries
    • Fliers in all libraries
    • Graphic on homepage of the website
    • Separate webpage for the survey
    • PPLD Newsletter that goes to 130,000+ active email addresses
    • LibTV (all TVs in all libraries), 
    • Curbside messaging at Library 21c and East Library
    • Alert notifications on Library Market (PPLD Event Calendar), Overdrive, Catalog, and Mobile App 
    • Included in Library 21c and East Library’s curbside messages 
    • Social media
      • Facebook:
        • 6 posts (one of these was a video)
        • Paid Advertising – Oct. 12 - 22
      • Instagram: 6 posts (one of these was a video) 
      • LinkedIn: 1 post 
      • NextDoor: 1 post 
      • X: 6 posts (one of these was a video) 
      • Ads: GoogleAds (Oct. 5 – 24), Facebook (Oct. 12 – 22) 
      • Newsletter: October 2023 newsletter 
    • Paid Advertising
      • Ads: Google – Oct. 5 - 24
    • Contacted 45 community partners and asked them to share the survey opportunity on their social media platforms.
    • Promoted the survey and distributed survey forms at outreach events in the community

Intercept Events – Large bulletin boards with pictures of options for PPLD amenities, etc. were displayed and the public was asked to indicate what they would like to see at PPLD locations by placing a sticker next to the photos. Patrons added stickers to the board (1,122 voters with 4,487 votes cast)

  • Activated at 20 PPLD outreaches from Fall 2023 – January 2024
    • These outreaches reached the Tri-Lakes area, Fountain, Manitou, and Central Colorado Springs, as well as cultural events (Japanese, Latino, and Indian communities)
    • Reached all ages

BOARD OF TRUSTEES STATEMENTS REGARDING ROCKRIMMON LEASE DECISION

The following statements can be found at ppld.org/rockrimmon-library-lease-decision

  • October 16 Statement presented at PPLD Board of Trustees meeting (published Thu., Oct. 17)
  • November 8 Statement (published on Fri., Nov. 8 and promoted via social media)

     


 

 


 

From the PPLD Board of Trustees:

Published on Fri., Nov. 8, 2024

As we quickly approach the closing of Rockrimmon Library we, the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) Board of Trustees (Board), want to reach out to the Rockrimmon community.

The decision not to renew the Rockrimmon Library lease was not made lightly. After months of reviewing all the information, struggling to fully staff the District, and discussing the options it was evident that tough decisions needed to be made to keep our District strong. A library provides access to resources and materials to everyone in the community, so considering a closure goes against the grain of our hopes for PPLD. However, our District provides access to nearly 700,000 people across El Paso County. We must make decisions that sustain the entire District. The Facilities Master Plan was brought to us to ensure a strategic plan was in place for the longevity of the District.

The Board and the Library’s Leadership Team and staff value the support of the Rockrimmon community. Your passion for and dedication to finding ways to keep its doors open is both honorable and inspiring. 

As the decision not to renew the lease is final, thoughtful consideration has already been given to other ways we can service the community such as possibly adding a stop to the PPLD Mobile Library Services’ schedule or placing book drops and/or kiosks throughout Rockrimmon. Additionally, our librarians at other locations are eager to meet and help each of you.

We invite you all to stay engaged in the Library District to help ensure we are here for years to come. Your support as volunteers, through donations to the PPLD Foundation, or as patrons help keep the District viable.
 

– PPLD Board of Trustees

Rockrimmon Library closing on Sun., Dec. 1

Published on Fri., Nov. 1, 2024

At their October meeting, the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) Board of Trustees voted to not renew the Rockrimmon Library lease when it expires on Dec. 31, 2024.  

PPLD will close Rockrimmon Library on Sun., Dec. 1 in preparation for the end of the lease.

  • Items checked out at Rockrimmon Library can be returned at any PPLD location.
  • All unavailable holds designated for pickup at Rockrimmon Library will be suspended beginning Sat., Nov. 16. These holds will remain suspended until Library users unsuspend them and select a different pick-up location through My Account or by calling (719) 531-6333 and selecting 0 for staff assistance.
  • Holds that are available and on the hold shelf at Rockrimmon Library as of Sat., Nov. 16 will remain through their hold expiration dates. This includes Interlibrary Loan (ILL) items.
  • ILL users with the preferred library of Rockrimmon Library will have their preferred library automatically changed to Library 21c after Rockrimmon Library closes.  Users can change their preferred library through their Request It account or by calling (719) 531-5333, x2317 for ILL staff assistance. 

Library 21c and East Library are within approximately 6 driving miles from the Rockrimmon Library location.

PPLD and its staff looks forward to welcoming and serving Rockrimmon Library users at any of our Library locations. 

PPLD Board of Trustees Votes to Not Renew Rockrimmon Library Lease

Published on Thu., Oct. 17, 2024

After months of contemplation and examination, it was with great difficulty that the PPLD Board of Trustees came to the decision at our monthly board meeting on Wed., Oct. 16, to close Rockrimmon Library. 

In June 2024, the board received a preliminary Facilities Master Plan report (FMP) and was presented with the final report in late September during the Board’s annual retreat. Since June, the trustees have been thoroughly reviewing and considering the report’s findings and recommendations and realized they needed to make some hard decisions about how Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) should proceed. 

The sustainability of the Library District is the Board’s number one priority. We want to ensure the District is available and capable of serving the nearly 700,000 residents within its service area in El Paso County.

We were faced with some difficult realities, to include:

  • The District has $1.2 million per year in deferred maintenance ($20.7 million for 10 years – see page 68 of the Facilities Master Plan), that we need to address to keep our facilities operational and safe for the public. There is no room in the tight budget that fuels the Library each year for these projects.
  • Like many businesses across the country post-COVID-19, PPLD is still suffering from staffing shortages due to retirements, new working options, and the cost of living.
  • Leasing space is not as financially sustainable as owning, but it takes money to buy locations or build them.
  • PPLD is the second largest library district in Colorado but receives 30 percent less funding than the state average for a library district; compare $51 per capita vs. the state average of $74.
  • The amount of money needed to sustain the District is far more than any fundraising could ever solve, as the funds would be needed each year. This is not about balancing a single year’s budget; it is about sustaining the District’s operations for years to come.
  • Seeking additional funding cannot be implemented overnight. It would take a few years to come to fruition; we need to start making changes now. We need to find savings and funding now.

As we reviewed the recommendations for sustainable operations without additional funding (Scenario 1 in the FMP), the Board analyzed the impact of the suggested Library closures. It considered all the Library locations and the communities they serve. 

Rockrimmon Library, which opened in 1989, was one of the suggested closures. Research into this option revealed that this is not the first time this Library was flagged for closure. In 2014 the then Board of Trustees considered closing this location. However, the departure of the Chief Librarian and the following 18-month search for a replacement put any actions toward that end on hold. 

As the trustees further examined Rockrimmon Library they realized:

  • There are multiple libraries within approximately 6 driving miles from the Rockrimmon Library location – Library 21c and East Library.
  • The lease on the Rockrimmon location is roughly $242,000 per year, the most expensive lease in the Library District.
  • There have been problems with flooding during heavy rains; PPLD has had to bear the cost of repairing any damage. 
  • There was a sinkhole behind the building where the book drop is located.
  • While the property owner has recently offered to lower the rent and take care of any future costs due to flooding or sinkholes, this effort does not begin to erase any of the financial issues the Library District is facing.

Closing Rockrimmon Library would allow the following:

  • An immediate savings of $242,000, which could help support numerous capital improvements that are needed across the District in 2025.
  • A savings of $25,000 in utilities and interior maintenance.
  • The staff of 10 employees would be retained and relocated to other Library locations, which would begin to solve the issues of overworked staff and increase staff morale.
  • The Library’s resources would be rehoused between Library 21c and East Library.
  • A beginning toward sustainability for the District as it considers ways to serve its growing community in the north-, central- and southeast of the county.

The trustees were faced with a hard decision that they did not want to make. But when viewed through eyes that are responsible for the fate of the Library District and its ability to serve all the communities in El Paso County, they must make tough decisions in the District’s long-term best interests. Therefore, the lease for Rockrimmon Library will not be renewed when it expires on Dec. 31, 2024. The Library will close its doors on Sun., Dec. 1, to allow the District to vacate the building by the end of the lease. 

This is just one – albeit an important one - of several decisions the Board must make over the next few months as it works to sustain Pikes Peak Library District so that it can continue to serve this community for decades in the future.
 

– Dora Gonzales, PPLD Board of Trustees President