Lease secures home for new library in northwest

Diana Sahagun

Monday, Jan. 15, 2001 | 10:19 a.m.

North Las Vegas residents in the growing northwest part of the city will soon have library services closer to home.

Last week the city's library board secured a lease for a 4,000-square-foot satellite library at Northpoint Center, at Craig Road and San Mateo Street. The satellite library comes at a crucial time, when the city's lone library near downtown has left a growing population of residents without books and computer services nearby.

While many residents are venturing out to libraries run by the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, board members hope when the satellite library is open in May or June those residents will have their needs met within the city.

The county's libraries have long had a cooperative agreement that extends privileges to each others' patrons.

Library board members had been hoping to open a satellite library sooner, but talks of consolidating with the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District delayed a decision last year. When the North Las Vegas Library District decided against consolidating, the board members immediately worked to secure a lease.

North Las Vegas Library Director Anita Laruy said the three-year lease came with a number of perks, which is why it was chosen over a location farther down Craig Road.

The first six months of rent are free, costing the city $25,200 for the remainder of the first year. The second year will cost $74,400 and the third year will cost $76,260. Laruy said she has money set aside and projected funds from her library district budget to run the library all three years.

The owner is outfitting the library with storage closets, bathrooms, a circulation desk, water fountains, carpeting, lighting and other amenities. Laruy said although she had budgeted for the amenities, she was delighted when the owner said he would supply them.

"It's like a godsend," she said. "I never thought that a library was that important to them."

The facility should be ready in April, but Laruy said it will take two more months to catalog the 10,000-book collection for a May or June opening. The library will also feature story time for children, a book area for children, Internet service, a reference section and more.

Laruy will hire two new people to run the satellite library, and any further staff will be supplemented from the current library. She expects the library to be open at least four days a week, Wednesday through Saturday.

In the meantime, board members are discussing the possibility of passing a bond issue in the spring to fund a second permanent library. The members are also looking into private sources such as foundations, Laruy said.

"There are a lot of foundations and very wealthy people that could sponsor a project like this," she said. "We're not going to leave any stone unturned. Now that we know we need to build this library, we will start looking at all these options."