Left, County Executive Patty Dreier (left) and County Board Chairman Phil Idsvoog address the County Board in April. (City-Times photo)

By Patrick Lynn

The Portage County Library Lease Negotiation Team will hold its first meeting on Thursday, May 15.

Leaders from Portage County in April formally created the new committee to negotiate with the City of Stevens Point on a lease renewal agreement for the main branch of the county library, following a false start to begin the negotiation team meetings without formal Board approval.

The county has been the sole tenant of the library building on Main Street since it was constructed in 1991. The county’s lease with the city expired in 2012.

Corporation Counsel Mike McKenna called the original agreement a “standard commercial lease” that has been extended while city and county leaders work towards new conditions that both parties can agree upon. County officials say it’s been slow-going but hope a new Library Negotiation Team can speed up the process.

County Executive Patty Dreier and Board Chairman Phil Idsvoog.

Earlier this year the county offered to cover 25 percent of the major repairs needed for the library building, which County Executive Patty Dreier said exceed $500,000. Under the existing lease, the city is responsible for major repairs to the building in excess of $3,500.

“On the list were such things as roof repairs of almost $126,000; a boiler replacement at $68,000; and so it goes- air handling system, window replacement, masonry and concrete work, etc. That was a great day for both partners, because it (the assessment) needed to become part of a routine,” Drier said. “We need to keep this on our radar, and it seems for decades before they didn’t come together to put that before our eyes so neither the city nor the county had the appropriate capital planning for this facility we both have a stake in.”Dreier also said County Facilities Director Todd Neuenfeldt worked with the city in 2012 to create a master list of major repairs needed on the $4 million structure.

Dreier said the county’s offer of a 25 percent capital cost share was turned down.

“That’s where we encountered the offer from the city to basically give us a building that needed over half a million dollars in repairs and $100,000. These aren’t needs that are new (repairs); these aren’t surprises,” Dreier said.

She also said major repairs to the building haven’t been started and likely won’t begin until an agreement can be reached on terms and ownership of the building- something the negotiation team could work towards.

Board Supervisor Joanne Suomi, who also serves as 2nd district alderwoman for the city, voted against forming the negotiation team in April.

“I want to talk to the mayor first, because I think if the county’s going to have some type of committee, I think the city should have some type of ad hoc committee as well,” she said.

The meeting will be held in conference room 3 inside the Portage County Annex Building, 1462 Strongs Avenue at 10:30 AM. The public is welcome.