Funds to open
Kapolei Library sought

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By Crystal Kua
Star-Bulletin

State Librarian Virginia Lowell says the governor will seek a supplemental budget request next legislative session for emergency funds to gain the $2.5 million needed to open the Kapolei Library.

But the Hawaii State Public Library System is being asked to offset that request by using savings leftover from its budget, Lowell said.

"Leftover? That's an oxymoron," Lowell said, referring to the oft-strapped public libraries budget.

Construction of the beleaguered library, which has been fraught with funding difficulties during the past couple of legislative sessions, is expected to be completed in December.

But there is not enough money for the staff positions, furniture and books needed open the library.

The Legislature this past session did not approve the Board of Education's funding request for 24 positions, salaries and books.

Lowell said even with 12 staffers, there would not be enough manpower to open the library seven days a week, the original schedule for the library.

Because it takes about a year to build a 35,000-volume collection of library materials, the earliest the library could open if the Legislature approves the emergency and supplemental requests is December 2002.

To open, the library would need $1 million in capital improvement money for furniture and equipment and $1.5 million for staff, books and materials.

Previously, some had pointed to a $2.5 million appropriation in "legislative initiative" funding that state lawmakers passed to acquire land to relocate the Aiea Library as a possible source of money to tap for the Kapolei. The Aiea Library relocation currently is not on the state library system's list of priority construction projects, and the school board did not ask for funding for it this past session.

But supporters of the Aiea project persuaded the Board of Education Public Libraries Committee yesterday to back the project and urge the governor not to veto that money from the budget.

Lowell said she supports the Aiea community's efforts, but the Kapolei project has taught her valuable lessons about how little control the library system has over funding library construction projects.