The Star-Tribune reports on one of the latest “new” developments in the Dakota County (Minnesota) library system: A space set aside for a coffee shop at the Eagan library has remained unused, 18 months after a major remodeling project of the building.
There are several problems with the cafe proposal. Is the sound of coffee grinders compatible with the quiet tones of a library? Can a shop that doesn’t operate during the morning rush be financially viable? (There’s no separate entrance to the space, and the library opens at 10am.) Is the room for the cafe, at 550 square feet, just too small? Was it wise to let a contract to people who have minimal business experience? Can a slow-moving government agency oversee it properly? (The library reopened in January 2009, but the county did not seek proposals until November or December.)
Then there’s the issue of fairness. Should an agency of government be providing–either directly or through a concession agreement–a product or service already available in the private sector? (Some people call this the yellow-pages test.) Can a government-sponsored enterprise compete fairly? A quasi-official group has pledged to buy the shop $10,000 worth of equipment. The enterprise will also be able to take advantage of favorable public financing. A county official told This Week newspapers, “Any money we would be getting from the vendor to lease the space is just to cover the power and that kind of thing. We don’t need to make money out of this. We want the vendor to make a profit.” The nod to profit is nice, but in this case, it appears that the vendor will be getting a break on capital costs. (Bonus observation: When governments erect buildings, they get favorable terms from the credit markets.)
There’s already a case of government intrusion into commercial enterprise, almost literally at the back door of the library. The City of Eagan has already gotten into the entertainment business through owning and operating a nearby water park that competes with commercial enterprises.
According to the Star-Tribune, the idea for a coffee shop has been brewing (sorry, but that was inevitable) for several years now, with some patrons thinking it would be a great idea. A $2.2 million renovation explicitly added space for a cafe, meaning that the space could have been designed for some other use. I can see the convenience factor, but it also serves as a great example of mission creep in a public agency. The county’s representative said that the library system is following the lead of commercial book sellers.
The south-metro website Lazy Lightning has more.