Siddique Stalls in Bid to 'Reimagine' Central Library

BRADENTON — During Tuesday’s Manatee County Commission meeting, Commissioner Tal Siddique made a bid to get the board to fund a study to determine the best way to modernize Manatee County's downtown central library facility.

Siddique asked the board to vote to allocate $250,000 for a preliminary study to fund design activities leading to a formal plan, with cost estimates, to enhance the facilities and services of the county's largest library. The next step would be to direct the county administration to commission a study involving staff and a third party that would present facility improvements for the library, as well as new or revamped services.

The central library was constructed in 1978, and Siddique pointed out that its design is dated, many of its offerings do not reflect modern community needs, and the building is in disrepair.

Other board members said that they appreciated the thoughtful and detailed presentation by Siddique, but were not comfortable allocating that much funding to a study before the board had additional conversation on whether the aging structure would be ideal for such an investment.

The vote failed by a 2-5 vote with commissioners Siddique and Robert McCann in favor, and commissioners George Kruse, Carol Felts, Jason Bearden, and Amanada Ballard opposed. During the commissioner comments portion of the meeting, Siddique vowed to continue attempting to gather support for the project. Click the video below to watch the portion of the meeting that includes the item.