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North Bend Library elevationThe red line is the 100-year flood level. Current plans call for the library to be built one foot above flood level. The cars at right give you an idea of how much water would be involved.
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Council debates elevation of new library

by Nathan Arneal
published 4/15/09

The North Bend City Council spent the first portion of its April 7 meeting discussing the elevation of the future North Bend Public Library.

At a previous meeting, the Council had passed a motion to build the new library two feet above the 100-year flood plane in order to save on possible flood insurance. The current plans for the library call for it to be built one foot above the flood plane, the minimum required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

At last Tuesday’s meeting, Jon Carlson and Bob Soukup of Carlson West Provondra Architects discussed the consequences of adding a foot to the library’s elevation.

One of the main concerns about rasing the library further is accessibility by the ramps required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. An additional foot of elevation would require the ramps to be much longer and include switch backs. The extra foot would also call for more fill dirt and additional retaining walls, Soukup told the Council.

“Our feeling is that one-foot above the flood plane is a reasonable distance for us to get easy access to the building and still provide you a standard one-foot flood protection,” Soukup said.

Councilman Al Wochnick said he supports the two-foot elevation because it would reduce flood insurance costs by two-thirds. He called the costs of extra ramps and fill dirt negligible in a project of this scale.

“I was fine with (one foot above flood plane) until I saw the actual figures on insuring it,” Wochnick said. “We’re talking dropping two-thirds of the expense, and that’s an annual expense.”

Mark Johnson, a member of the building committee for the new library, pointed out that no other city properties have flood insurance, and asked if the Council was planning on getting flood insurance on the new library.
Wochnick said that the Council would probably not get flood insurance on the new building, but he wanted to make it cheaper if the city ever decided to do so.

City Clerk Theresa Busse noted that building the library at the suggested one foot above flood level would put the building pad three and a half feet above street level.

“If three or four foot above the street level gets flooded, we’re not going to have a town,” she said.

Library Foundation president Mariann von Rein said that if the library had to be build two feet above the flood plane, a new site would likely be needed.
Mayor Karan Legler said she had no problem with the one-foot plan.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s ready to go,” Legler said. “This is a good elevation. Our grade school is at this elevation.”

Legler said the Council would revisit its insurance numbers and get back to the Library Board with a decision on the new building’s elevation.
In other Council business:

• North Bend Arboretum curator Bob Feurer asked if there would be a possibility of using keno funds to help pay for paving the trails within the arboretum.

The Council showed enthusiastic support for the idea, saying this is the type of community project keno funds should pay for. They agreed to give $12,000 to the project with the possibility of more money in the future.

• The Council appointed Duane Ellermeier to the planning commission to fill a new spot on the commission representing the city’s one-mile extra-territorial jurisdiction.

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