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Click here for up-to-the-minute results from Douglas County.Douglas County Libraries is asking voters for a mill levy increase to fund construction of new libraries. The ballot proposal 5A is an increase of 1 mill, or $7.96 per year of each $100,000 of home value.
A similar ballot measure was voted down in 2007 by just 210 votes out of 42,000 total ballots cast.
The increased revenue would go toward construction of a new library in Parker at Mainstreet and Pine, a neighborhood library in Castle Pines at Castle Pines Parkway and Monarch Boulevard and new library in Lone Tree south of Lincoln and southeast of the Super Target on Commons Street.
Funds would also go toward renovations at the Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch libraries.
Accepting defeat // 10:05 p.m.
The room becomes hushed as more results come in. The library issue has been voted down. Library campaign chair
Justin VanLandschoot gathered the somber crowd. "I want to personally thank all of you for the blood, sweat and tears you've put into this," he said. "We didn't make it in the polls, but we touched a lot of people in the community." VanLandschoot said, in the end, the purpose of libraries is not to build buildings, but to build community, and that is what the campaign did.
Library director
Jamie LaRue said," I don't know any politican whose never lost a race." He added, "People are scared. They are worried about money, and we understand."
Library board director
Stevan Strain said, "I truly believe citizens are saying, I'm sorry but I just can't afford it right now. Two years in a row -- we have to see that as a mandate from our citizens."
Other supporters murmurm their disappointment, but many say they feel they did the best they could do.
9:40 p.m. // Still waiting
According to
Wendy Holmes with Douglas County, updated results are expected soon. She said 19,722 people voted at the polls in Dougco today. The voting went really well -- "No line, no equipment breakdowns."
Holmes said the county is going to shut down at about 10 p.m. and resumed the counting in the morning. "Our folks are just fried," she said. The library supporters, when told this, exclaimed, "They just want to torture us!"
9:15 p.m .// Not looking good
Corbin Wagoner, library supporter from Castle Pines North, just left, along with a few others.
He said with a sigh, "Maybe we can pull this off, but it's not looking good." He added that he thinks a lot of people are suffering with the state of the economy, and said it is too bad because the lack of funding for the libraries will add to this suffering
Another library supporter mused, "I don't know what more we could have done!" People are getting impatient because the numbers have not been updated for about an hour.
"It's a nailbiter." // 8:34 p.m.
The mood is anxious as people crowd the screen watching for a new update.
Corbin Wagoner, who worked on the Yes to Libraries campaign for Castle Pines North, said, "It's a nailbiter."
Early results // 8 p.m.
Stevan Strain has just announced some early reports that the library issue is losing by about 5,000 votes, according to numbers from mail-in and early voting.
"Now we wait for the votes from our people -- who went to the polls today," he said hopefully. The room is filling up.
Preparing to watch the results//7:30 p.m.
Two employees of the Parker Library arrive at the Warhorse and set up a big screen to watch the live results come in from DouglasVotes.org. Parker Library manager Patt Paul admits, "I'm nervous!" She said she feels likes she talked to a lot of people who supported the library mill levy, but now feels a bit apprehensive. "We just thought we'd do this together with lots of support," she said about watching the results.
The calm before the storm // 6:55 p.m.
Warhorse Inn is quiet so far, but owner
Stevan Strain, also president of the Douglas County Library Board of Trustees, said he expects quite a crowd of library supporters. Many regulars have come in to watch the election results, he said.
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