A bigger library might come to Pierce County if voters approve. Here’s what to expect

Angelica Relente
·2 min read

Taxpayers in Sumner might get a chance to help fund a new library on Main Street.

The Pierce County Library System recently announced that a $15 million bond measure is expected to be on the ballot for the primary election in August.

The library system’s board of trustees and Sumner City Council passed resolutions in early March to place this measure before voters.

“A new library in the heart of town will make the library more accessible to residents,” executive director Gretchen Caserotti said in a news release.

The Pierce County Library System purchased a 1.67-acre site in October 2021. The plan is to build a new library at 15126 Main St. E.
The Pierce County Library System purchased a 1.67-acre site in October 2021. The plan is to build a new library at 15126 Main St. E.

If voters approve the 20-year bond, an average homeowner with a $514,000 home would pay about $10 per month. That totals $120 per year. Bonds need a 60 percent approval rate and a 40 percent turnout rate from the last general election.

If approved, a Library Capital Facility Area (LCFA) would also be established. The LCFA is an independent taxing district separate from the library system, city and county. Its governing body would consist of three Pierce County Council members.

The project cost is expected to be about $19 million. The building may be up to 20,000 square feet. Another $5 million is expected to come from donations, fundraising and other avenues.

The new library would sit on a 1.67-acre property at 15126 Main St. E. It would have spaces for toddlers to obtain literacy skills, a zone for teenagers to study, as well as areas for job seekers and entrepreneurs.

The Pierce County Library System purchased a 1.67-acre site in October 2021. The plan is to build a new library at 15126 Main St. E.
The Pierce County Library System purchased a 1.67-acre site in October 2021. The plan is to build a new library at 15126 Main St. E.

The current building that houses the library at 1116 Fryar Ave. can be difficult to access by walking, riding a bike or driving a vehicle, spokesperson Mary Getchell said. The lease for the building also expires in 2024.

“We definitely must move out of that building,” Getchell said.

Most of the feedback the library system received earlier this year included the need to have a bigger space, Getchell said. The current building was not built to be a library to begin with, she said. The new building would be about twice the size of the current one.

If voters don’t approve of the bond, the library system will continue its services in a different space. Getchell said that would be based on what works and what’s available.

Rachel Oberg reads a book to her son, Maverick Oberg, 5, in the children’s reading area of the Sumner Public Library on Fryar Avenue in Sumner, Wash. on March 23, 2023. Sumner City Council and the Pierce County Libraries board of trustees passed resolutions to place a bond measure on the primary ballet in August that would raise funds for a new library branch.