Geneva library close to buying Kane Co.'s Sixth Street School

Geneva may soon have a location for a new library in hand as Kane County officials confirmed a tentative agreement is in place to sell the Sixth Street School property.

Both the county and library boards must vote on the deal before it becomes final. But county board Chairman Chris Lauzen said the two taxing bodies recently resolved the stumbling block of the purchase price for the property. Lauzen did not want the price to be public knowledge until both boards get a look at the deal, but he confirmed the final deal will include a reimbursement to the county for the costs of demolishing the existing school on the property.

The library has $2.1 million in a fund earmarked for the purchase of land to construct a new library. For months the two parties were deadlocked over a sale price when competing appraisals for the property showed about a $500,000 difference in what the library thought the land was worth compared to the county.

Lauzen said a compromise was found when county officials decided they weren't interested in getting every last penny it could for the property.

"Once we got to a fair price we all recognized we are serving the same constituents," Lauzen said. "We're not in the real estate business at the county. That's not part of our mission."

Lauzen said it is cheaper for the county to handle the demolition of the school, but that project may still cost up to $300,000. The Kane County Regional Office of Education must also relocate before that work can begin.

Library board Vice President Bob Shiffler said library officials will discuss the state of current negotiations at a meeting next week. He doesn't expect a final contract will be in front of the board at the meeting. Current library board President Esther Steel is expected to resign at the meeting as she is moving to Elburn.

Shiffler said the library is conducting a needs assessment and is probably "several years" away from asking voters, via a referendum, for more money to build a new library. The current library is 27,600 square feet. The city of Geneva owns a first right of refusal if and when the library board decides to sell that property.