Where will the proposed library be located, and how was the site chosen?
A. The site of the proposed library is on the corner of Lacy Road and Research Park Drive, the southwest corner of the City Hall property. An ad-hoc library committee (appointed by the mayor in 2005), with the help of an architectural firm and library consultant, chose the site after extensive research and much deliberation. The architectural and library planning services were funded by an anonymous donation to the Madison Community Foundation. After a series of public listening sessions and evaluation of 13 possible sites around Fitchburg, the committee decided that the property near City Hall was the most desirable location. Because Wisconsin law requires libraries to house collections based on the municipality’s population and meet minimum square footage requirements, only a few of the sites reviewed were large enough to qualify. As the plans for the library were refined, it became clear that a library that could share parking with City Hall and the Community Center had many advanta
