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REGULAR MEETING November 26, 2018
<br /> to find some space where there is quiet. With all the other economic development we have going
<br /> on in the downtown area, this is an anchor on the south side that we need. I ask for your support
<br /> in this endeavor. Thank you.
<br /> Brad Beutter, 1154 East Colfax Avenue, South Bend, IN, stated, I am the current Board Chairman
<br /> of the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County. Deb outlined, very well, the project and the
<br /> services of the Library. Citizens tonight have commented on the value added to the community. I
<br /> think what I want to point out is that Deb's team is a real asset. When we deal with an asset like
<br /> that, we want to help it realize its full potential. I firmly believe that this project will leverage her
<br /> team and the asset they bring to our community to realized their full potential. I think this Library
<br /> project is just what downtown needs on the back end of Smart Streets. We are also doing the parks
<br /> and trails and it fits into the puzzle of our community as it is evolving today. Your commitment
<br /> will not only leverage Deb and her team but it will be leveraged from the $20 million from the
<br /> County and the $10 million from the Community Foundation in a way that maximizes a return on
<br /> your investment multi-fold. I think, as a City, you always want to maximize and get the best return
<br /> we can on our investment. We have done that continuously over the years I have been there and I
<br /> think this project is an excellent example of doing that. Perhaps the most important reason I'm
<br /> excited about the project is it demonstrates our collective commitment to meaningful change to
<br /> the landscape downtown. As I've been living in town now, I've seen downtown be transformed. I
<br /> think this library will continue that process and move us forward in a very positive and constructive
<br /> way. It will be serving more people in more ways and you've heard a lot of those ways today. But
<br /> at the end of the day when I talked to Rose, I got excited about the project and I outlined how
<br /> whenever I travel and visit communities, I always like to visit their library. When you go to a
<br /> library, you learn a lot about the community. You see its people, its commitment to itself, you see
<br /> its commitment to its citizens. And I think, with a library like this, we will show to the rest of the
<br /> world, South Bend's commitment to itself and its citizens. I encourage you to vote in favor of this
<br /> tonight. Thank you.
<br /> Mark Neal, 321 South Main Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I don't know if I have anything new to
<br /> add but I think it's important. Our County Library System has been an anchor for this community
<br /> for many, many years. We have always focused on partnerships and I think the Library has gone
<br /> above and beyond to work with the Community Foundation and so many other groups to create
<br /> partnerships in this community for this expansion. I think when we look at the quality of life of
<br /> the community, the two (2) last places we look to that are great public assets are libraries and
<br /> parks. We've made a commitment in this community to our parks system and I think doing that
<br /> for our libraries can also add to the quality of life, the experiences we create, the knowledge we
<br /> can pass for all of our residents. This is an opportunity for all. I think when you look at the study
<br /> done back in 2017 by the library system,it looked at other libraries in the country to see what other
<br /> communities of our size have done. Places like Madison, Wisconsin or Louisville, Kentucky have
<br /> done things with their library and their expansion to make sure it had resources for all parts of the
<br /> community. I think it is important as we look to continue living in this knowledge-based world we
<br /> live in, the Library being an important part of that. I ask for your support.
<br /> Council President Tim Scott opened the floor to comments from Council Members.
<br /> Councilmember Jo M. Broden stated, Someone said a no-brainer. I just think I'm very excited.
<br /> One (1), our library and our leadership are long outstanding stewards. I said it earlier and it is
<br /> worth repeating. They are always ahead of the curve. They are always bringing people together.
<br /> They are always out there and pulling and pushing the rest of us along in terms of programming
<br /> to benefit the community. I think there has been a lot. I commend everyone who came up tonight.
<br /> This is the fundraising pitch and you all nailed it.You all brought very important aspects as to why
<br /> this deserves not only this body's funding but the others who will be contributing to this going
<br /> forward. In that regard, this is, I think, the word transformational projects has come up repeatedly
<br /> during my short tenure on this Council. I think this is the highest and purest hit on that mark. Ms.
<br /> Futa, you nailed it. You said any person, any age, always free and at the heart of your mission is
<br /> to improve lives. Purest, highest, dead on. I do think I would like to commend some folks, too,
<br /> because there is a partnership within all of this. Mr. Mueller, your office has done an outstanding
<br /> job, the leadership of the Community Foundation, the leadership of the Boards, nobody is paid to
<br /> do this hard work and put the pieces together for the rest of us and the rest of our benefit. So when
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