Library board reviews Cerner letter of intent

Thursday evening, Nevada Public Library Board reviewed and came to a consensus that they agreed with a letter of intent regarding the proposed leasing and renovation of the third floor of the library building, near Walnut and Ash, Nevada, by Cerner Corp.

The Kansas City company has been working with the city, Nevada Regional Medical Center and groups and organizations on a project called "Healthy Nevada," a project aimed at creating a web of health resources and promoting healthier lifestyles among area residents.

To that end, Cerner's proposed a five-year lease in which Cerner will pay for all renovations and other costs associated with their occupancy of the building.

Library Director Susan McBeth told the board "They do not expect (to receive) one nickel. It's a triple-net lease," which means Cerner also will pay its own utilities, taxes and insurance, as well as rent.

No actual figures were discussed in the letter, which is not a formal or legally-binding document.

"It's not a contract. It's not even a proposal. It's just a letter," McBeth said.

The board voted to enlist the services of local attorney Chris Hoberock when the negotiations get to the contract stage, and a building committee was appointed. Its members, Kelly Stephens, Don Erpenbach and a third member yet to be formally named, will serve as contact points between the board and Cerner.

McBeth said she'd talked with Cerner representatives about parking, which she doesn't think will be a problem because most of Cerner's activity is expected to take place in the evening, and signage. McBeth said she told Cerner representatives that signage would have to be approved by the board.

The top floor of the library building is essentially a large, open space with high ceilings and big, steel beams that were installed after a microburst struck the city on May 17, 1995.

McBeth said there was a concern that the roof may have been weakened by the storm. Since then, "That roof is definitely not going to collapse."

The sturdy top floor currently serves as a storage area where the library has stored some old, outdated equipment and genealogy records. A few items belonging to the Bushwhacker Museum are inside, and some youth baseball equipment also is stored there.

It's not a large amount of stored goods and the board didn't seem to expect a difficulty in finding other places for the items inside.

There's no information on just how Cerner plans to remodel the space.

McBeth expects that local contractors will most likely be hired to do the work.

"They're a global organization that's very used to hiring locally," she noted.

After Cerner's done with the facility an estimated five years or so in the future, the property will still belong to the library and will be theirs to use as the board at that time chooses.

"That was a dream of the people who first got this building," McBeth said.