The Ector County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously approved specifications on a request for qualifications for architectural services to build a new library.
This will allow architecture firms to bid on designing the new Ector County Library.
The architecture firm would also give a desired location on where the new library would be built.
When Commissioner for Precinct 4 Armando Rodriguez asked Ector County Library director Howard Marks about who would have the final say on the design and location of the new library, Marks said he hopes it would be a joint decision between the Ector County Library Committee and the commissioners’ court.
“We believe it will hopefully be a joint decision, but it’s ultimately up to you all,” Marks said as he gestured to the members of the court.
Marks on Monday said the current schedule is to officially start the bidding process and have that continue until Nov. 21. Marks said after that a three-week evaluation process will take place and then hopefully a decision about the new library will be made before Christmas.
Those remarks continued during Tuesday’s meeting as Marks said he wants Ector County Judge Debi Hays and Rodriguez, who both will be leaving the commissioners’ court at the end of the year, to have a vote on what the new library would look like and where it will be located.
Hays spoke with members of the media after Tuesday’s meeting and said she wants the new library to be multifaceted. She also said she hopes there will be special sessions to show architecture renderings of where and what the new library could look like.
“I don’t live in a box, so my vision for the library is multifaceted to where the younger generation can come in and do podcasting,” she said. “There are exhibits inside the library, no different than exhibits inside the Ellen Noël Art Museum. That we have guest speakers in the library. That we partner with West Texas Food Bank to teach a generation how to prepare meals so we don’t have an overrun of diabetic children and adults in our community, which drives up the cost of insurance.”
The commissioners also unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding for a Friends of the Ector County Library grant for $25,000 for 2022-2023, approved an agreement for Gale Cengage Excel Adult High School, approved a three-year annual license agreement for Beanstack services and approved a license agreement for Newsbank electronic research database subscription.
The court also:
>> Approved the contract proposal for Offenderwatch.
>> Approved a request to hire a Department Coordinator at a Step 7 due to experience.
>> Approved action on Penta Court a subdivision of 5.00 acres in Section 25, Block 44, T-2-S, T&P. RY. Co. Survey, (Precinct 1) Ector County, Texas and authorize the County Judge to sign.
>> Approved action on a replat of the West 108 Feet of Lot 6, Block 26, Westridge Subdivision, 2nd Filing, being a replat of 1.96 acres in Section 20, Block 43, T-2-S, T&P. RR. Co. Survey, (Precinct 1), Ector County, Texas and authorize the County Judge to sign.
>> Approved action on a proposed MHRC Development to serve 427 W. 57th Street 1.71 acre tract located in Lakeview Subdivision, Section 4, Lot 49, Block 42, (Precinct 1) Ortega, Ector County, Texas and authorize the County Judge to sign.
>> Approved the following proposed Consent Agenda: a. Approved a line item transfer on General Fund, Jail, Equipment Maintenance & Repair, 001-420-5252 from Contract Services, 001-420-5309 for $95,000. Approved a line item transfer to General Fund, Commissioner Precinct 4, Educational Travel, 001-024-5161 from Commissioner Precinct 1, Educational Travel, 001-021-5161 for $710.
>> Approved the Accounts Payable Fund Requirements Report for October 11, 2022 to review County financial statements and reports.
