Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
Thank you for your unanimous vote on moving forward!
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend in person due to work commitments but was able to watch the library discussion through the
live stream.
I would like to reinforce the following comments made by public or City Council members: 1. Accelerate the timeline--look for areas to parallel path (due to community fatigue with little action but soliciting lots of
input over many years)
2. Engage the community in the mean time through pop up/mobile libraries at parks, community center, or key locations
3. Have competitive bids for the siting analysis and construction phases (knowing that we are going with Noll and Tam during the
space needs analysis)
4. Start funding discussions with creative ideas such as a hotel occupancy tax (thanks Mayor Ohtaki for that idea!)
5. Get more thorough community inputs from key stakeholders in the next phases (the BHNLAC has a list of names to start with)
If I had to ask one question, then it would be: what can the city do to meet the needs of BH residents in the short-term given
that we are looking at over 2 years to break ground? Jacqui's idea about pop-up libraries in the neighborhood is awesome, but what
more can be done to engage a fatigued and disillusioned community that needs services now?
Please make this a priority in your discussions.
Thanks,Pushpinder
Pushpinder P. Lubana, PhDLinkedIn [http://www.linkedin.com/in/pushpinderlubana]Cell 650-644-8554
