Public/private partnerships offer a new and exciting way to achieve civic goals at lower cost and avoid public debt, but they are a new way of doing things and there can be misunderstandings about them. An article appeared in the August 6 edition of the Marion Times about the Plug Into Your Community Event sponsored by the Marion Chamber of Commerce, MEDCO, the Marion Blue Zones Project, and the City. The purpose of the event was to help people become more informed about what’s happening in the City. Unfortunately, most of the information in the article about the library project is wrong.

Last date to take the survey was July 19, 2015: thanks to those of you who participated!  When you plan for a new library facility you need to look beyond your current needs and try to envision what the community will be like in 20 years. We started down that road last year when we developed an assessment of the features needed in a new Marion library, one designed to serve a city of 60,000 in 2035.