Mayor Dave Cieslewicz announced Monday his support for a new $37 million Central Library and included it in his capital budget for 2010.
Cieslewicz’s support dedicates $13 million of public funding for the construction of the library in the year 2010, which will entail the sale of the existing library and the use of the revenue to build a new, multi-purpose structure on the corner of West Washington Avenue and Henry Street.
“This library is indicative of how I think we should respond to the recession,” Cieslewicz said in a press conference earlier this week. “This capital budget is about building the city. It’s about responding to the recession not by pulling back, but by moving forward and investing in our city.”
According to Cieslewicz, this and the Edgewater Hotel redevelopment, which he also supports, will create 1,000 jobs, add $125 million in new property values and also generate $1.5 million in property tax revenue every year.
