KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
At its meeting Thursday, the Kodiak City Council officially endorsed a site atop Signal Hill as the preferred location for a new public library. Known as the "City Barn Site," it sits across Egan Way from the borough building, and in between the Red Cross office and the KMXT studios. The site was chosen by the Kodiak Public Library Association, a booster group pushing for a new library.
But as Councilman Tom Walters points out, it was a spot the council had suggested years ago:
— (Library 1 35 sec "Well, I appreciate … working something out.")
He called the spot a beautiful place for a library, but acknowledged that it might come with as many issues as any other lot in town:
— (Library 2 20 sec "Every area you look at … work you’ve done on it.")
Councilman John Whiddon asked City Manager Aimee Kniaziowski (Kenya-zzoff-ski) about the current structure on the site, a 100-plus-year-old barn:
— (Library 3 54 sec "I forgot to ask last time … without removing the barn.")
The barn currently is headquarters for Kodiak Police Department detectives, but they will soon be moving to the new public safety building on Mill Bay Road. The barn supported an Agricultural Experiment Station from the late 1800s, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The building and the land are owned by the city.
###
