Centennial Neighborhood Association
Boise’s westernmost Neighborhood Association, working to make Boise and the Centennial neighborhood a better place to live, work and raise a family!
Push for new library in West Boise
After Thursday evening’s second quarter open board meeting of the Centennial Neighborhood Association, many attendees gathered “around” one of West Boise’s largest public libraries! Because Boise’s western neighborhoods lack a City Public Library within walking or biking distance, don’t you think it’s time we had one?
Team members of the Centennial Neighborhood Association (“CNA”) have attended all the City of Boise Library Listening Sessions being hosted at each City of Boise Library Branch. This photo was taken at the Library Listening session held March 7, 2025, at the Cole &Ustick Library Branch. One of the goals of CNA in representing over 10,000 residents in West Boise is to bring a City of Boise Library Branch to serve the residents of West Boise. Please join us in this effort by signing up for our newsletter and attending our Quarterly Meetings. Our next meeting is scheduled for Thurs. April 17, 2024, at 6pm, location TBD.
We, the Centennial Neighborhood Association, represent Boise’s west-most citizens. We would like to make you aware of an issue we’ve raised with city leaders. We’d like your support. We’d also like to know what issues you feel need more attention where you live. We know that we are stronger when we support each other.
In Fall 2022, a couple of our citizens appealed to our Neighborhood Association, at our Annual Meeting, highlighting the need for better library services in West Boise. They shared a map, showing that most of the city lives within 2 miles of a library, except for West Boise.
In 2023 these citizens started a group, calling themselves “Citizens for a Library in West Boise”, with support from our Neighborhood Association. Together we took a petition to neighbors, calling on the Mayor, City Council, and Library Board, to improve library services in West Boise. Nearly 1,000 Boise citizens signed this petition. You are welcome to learn more about this effort at https://citizensforalibrary.org/west-boise.
This petition was presented to City Council at the Budget Hearing meeting on July 11th, 2023. At this meeting, City Council approved funding for the library to create a new facilities plan, with help from an outside agency.
Development of a new facilities plan is in line with the Strategic Framework for Impact, https://www.boisepubliclibrary.org/about-us/strategic-planning/, a plan to guide efforts at Boise Public Library from 2024 to 2029. This framework was created after holding listening sessions with citizens and hosting an online survey in 2022.
The last facilities plan, created in 2000, called for the new branch libraries we have today: Cole & UStick, Hillcrest, Collister, and Bown Crossing. It called for a new library downtown – which was ultimately rejected by citizens at the ballot in 2019. Despite this setback, the library plan was successful in expanding access to libraries in nearly all parts of the city, putting a library within walking or biking distance of most citizens. However, during this time, West Boise saw a reduction in library access: bookmobile service ceased in 2013. Starting in 2022, Citizens in West Boise have been calling on city leaders to prioritize funding to build a library in West Boise too.
At a recent City Council meeting, February 6, 2024, City Council approved the selection of Group 4 Architecture to help create a new facilities plan for the Boise Library. Group 4 Architecture was hired by the City of Spokane to help create the facilities plan which led to improvements in Spokane’s library system. City Council members made it clear during this meeting that they want to see input from Boise citizens as this facilities plan is created.
We feel that physical libraries remain an important part of the services a city provides:
In short, libraries enhance and build a community!
We hope that you’re as excited as we are about the next chapter in Boise’s library.
You might consider –
Sincerely,
Centennial Neighborhood Association Board
Gary Dufault, President
Mark Salisbury, Member at Large
The Centennial Neighborhood Association applauds the continued progress made by “Citizens for a Library” to establish a library facility in west Boise. “Citizens for a Library” founder, Mark Salisbury along with Jennifer Gravel, a life-long library patron and a long-time advocate, presented testimony, and the organization’s formal petition for locating a public library in west Boise. Our Centennial Neighborhood sits in the middle of this underserved area and formally supports “Citizens for a Library” and its efforts.
A discussion and questions by library board members followed the presentation. While board members expressed skepticism as to any ability to impact funding for the FY 2024 fiscal year, which begins October 1st, it was clear that Mark and Jennifer made a positive impression.
Your Centennial Neighborhood Association supports the need for Boise to have a library closer to the citizens of West Boise. Ideally libraries are within walking or at least biking distance. “The Library!” at Cole & Ustick is more than five miles away from parts of our Neighborhood Association. Many citizens of Boise live within 1 mile of a library, and most are within two miles. “?” West Boise stands alone in a “library desert”!
This Tuesday, July 11th, Boise City Council is meeting at the Boise City Hall at 6 PM to review the FY’24 budget. Several of our neighborhood association members will present a petition to improve library coverage in West Boise. We invite you to come and support this too.
Here’s a good link about how to testify/sign up/participate over zoom for the city council meeting if you can’t be there in person.
https://www.cityofboise.org/departments/finance-and-administration/city-clerk/public-meetings/#Participate.
If you plan to attend Tuesday’s meeting in-person you can sign up to testify at City Hall before the meeting. The earlier you sign up the earlier you will be able to testify. Note the start time for the meeting is 6 PM. Testimony is limited to three minutes per person testifying.
Many, if not most of us, have firsthand experiences or stories that reflect how important public libraries are to ourselves and our families. Consider if you have a story to tell that reflects on better access to a public library in west Boise.
| Taxes | We all pay equal taxes to support libraries, but we don’t have equitable access. |
| Cost Efficiency, Expediency West YMCA | A new, dedicated building would be preferred but we recognize this is expensive, the quickest most efficient path to improve access would be to lease space in an existing building. This could be done near the West YMCA in the Boise Research Center or other retail locations that have become vacant due to a trend away from brick-and-mortar retail. |
| Walkable City | We want Boise to be more walkable and bikeable. Part of making it more walkable and bikeable is having places to walk and bike to, within a reasonable distance. |
| Not Just Parks | We have good access to parks, for which we are grateful, but parks are not the only city service we care about. |
| Library Study | When the library study is completed in a year, the same coverage gap will exist. Can we not recognize this and begin to act now? |
| Library Study | The study doesn’t need to be completed to see where we have poor coverage. It’s obvious to anyone when they look at a coverage map of Boise. |
| Action Now | Action we could take now: Step 1) research different options – we can tell you about them, we know West Boise, we live there. Step 2) purchase land. Can we include money from this year’s budget to purchase land for a library in West Boise? |
| Action Now | We’ve identified locations near West Boise MacDevitt Park. We Don’t want to name it publicly. We’ve seen other potential locations disappear due to development. Great locations have been disappearing, West Boise is developed. |
| Action Now | It’s important to act sooner than later, as available space is only going away. |
This morning (July 8) neighborhood association members collected signatures in support of this petition at Albertson’s at Eagle and McMillan. You can sign this petition online at https://citizensforalibrary.org/west-boise. Tammy and Jeremy Rampton along with their daughter, Eve, and Clair Salisbury gather petition signatures outside Albertsons at McMillan and Eagle Road. We want to thank our local Albertsons for being a great supporter of Centennial Neighborhood.
West Boise Needs a Library Too – Door-To-Door Campaign Kicks Off Saturday, May 13, 2023
At our most recent board meeting, we agreed that having a library within or closer to our neighborhood would be a tremendous boost to our community. Supporters of this initiative will be going door to door on Saturday at 1:30 PM to collect signatures and distribute flyers. If you would like to help, please sign up here:
Past Updates:
Mark Salisbury updated CTNA tonight on the library meeting that was hosted by Mark and his wife, Amanda, last night.
“We had a great meeting last night! I’ve started working on a presentation for the library board / city council, which I shared with everyone who was present. I got some valuable feedback – thanks everyone who was here for your ideas. We got a little more organization, with several people volunteering to help this effort in a variety of ways. I’m excited to see where we go.
And the pie — lots of pie, it was delicious.
If you believe having a library nearby is worth some effort, I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks especially to Amanda Salisbury for all your help 
“
Join us on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1266257710908051
Your Centennial Neighborhood Association supports the need for Boise to have a library closer to the citizens of West Boise. Ideally libraries are within walking or at least biking distance. The Library! at Cole & Ustick is more than five miles away from parts of our Neighborhood Association. Many citizens of Boise live within 1 mile of a library, and most are within two miles. “?” West Boise stands alone in a “library desert”!
If you are interested in supporting this effort, help is needed. You can help in the following ways:
Join the “West Boise / East Meridian Needs a Library! Too” Facebook Group set up to bring together people who support this idea.
Sign this petition – https://www.change.org/p/west-boise-east-meridian-needs-a-library-too
Spread the word.
