Downtown Madison residents are one step closer to having a new, state-of-the-art public library after Mayor Dave Cieslewicz included funding for it in his proposed 2009 capital budget.

“The current library is clearly a worn, inadequate facility,” Cieslewicz said. “In a lot of communities, the central library is really a focal point for the downtown, and I think it can be that again.”

Cieslewicz said he thinks the new library will provide another place for University of Wisconsin students to study.

“I think it’s another option for them, especially students who live in that neighborhood,” Cieslewicz said. “It’d be closer than the UW libraries.”

The mayor allocated funding for half of the $30 million building project, with the intention for the remainder to be raised in the private sector.

“We’ve been talking informally to likely donors to gauge their interest,” said Tripp Widder, president of the Madison library board, without disclosing potential donors.

Widder said the library board is in the process of issuing a request for proposals, which would allow developers to propose projects either on the current site or anywhere up to five blocks from that location. 

T. Wall Properties, a local developer, put together a proposal last May to build a new structure at the location of the old library on the 200 block of West Mifflin Street.

Sean Robbins, vice president of T. Wall Properties, said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald that their proposed facility includes 100,000 square feet of library space, 150,000 square feet for offices, retail stores and restaurants and one level of underground parking. 

Despite the area being primarily commercial, the idea of having the library within a private building has raised some eyebrows. 

“There are very few people that live within close proximity,” said Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4. “But there are many strong opinions among neighborhood activists.”

According to Verveer, some members of the capitol neighborhood area are planning on hosting a forum sometime in October to discuss the idea of the new library being “essentially privatized.”  

Verveer said one reason the mayor is supporting the private route is because fundraising efforts are tough and the city cannot afford it on its own. 

“The city is in the driver’s seat in terms of construction schedule. They are currently planning to select a developer in early 2009,” Robbins said. “From there it would be approximately two years until the new library would open.”

Cieslewicz said he is optimistic about the City Council approving the partial funding of the project when they review the budget in November.

“I think there’s a good deal of support on the City Council for the library project,” Cieslewicz said.

The new library project will be a long process requiring more discussions and votes by the City Council beyond the budget approval, Verveer said.

Widder said the library board plans to update the library’s technology and make the collections more accessible, rather than pushed away.

“The whole idea is to provide more public space,” Widder said. “The new library would have substantially more display space.”