The Kaysville City Mayor and some members of the Council have set in motion a plan to demolish the historic "Old Kaysville Library."  Beginning with a "work item" scheduled for their September 2, 2021 meeting they will discuss tearing down the historic building.  This "work item" is the initial step needed to begin the tear down process.  Following the "work item" the Council will move this measure to action & consent items in the following City Council meetings and the building will be lost.  At this point, the meetings are only a formality as the Mayor has suggested that she has the 3 votes from the council that she needs to tear down the building.  

Why is the building worth saving?  The building has served a variety of purposes throughout the years.  Initially as Kaysville City Hall, A Public Health Center and Finally as the Kaysville Library.  In addition to the Library, the Old Building is also home to the Leconte Stewart Art Gallery.  This gallery was donated to the city and showcases one of Utah's most famous artists.  In short, the building serves as a vital connection to the historic past and as a monument to those that built it during the Great Depression. 

Linda Ross, shared this brief history of the building: On November 16, 1940, 25-year-old Mayor Thornley K. Swan announced plans to construct a $55,000 city hall building. By the time the bond election was held, the bond amount was reduced to $35,000 because part of the project ($20,000) would be paid for by federal funds through the Works Project Administration (WPA). The WPA was part of the New Deal during the Great Depression that gave men much needed jobs. Building programs were of great importance during the 1930s, and virtually every public building constructed in Utah, including county courthouses, city halls, fire stations, national guard armories, public school buildings, and a variety of others were built under federal programs by one of several agencies, the WPA being one of those. Almost without exception, none of the buildings would have been built when they were without the assistance of the federal government. Kaysville City Hall was one of 226 buildings constructed in Utah during the 1930s and early 1940s under the Works Progress Administration and other New Deal programs. Of those 226 buildings, 130 are still standing and retain their integrity. In Davis County, a total of five buildings were constructed. The building in Kaysville is the only one that remains.

The "Old Kaysville Library" was added to the National Register of Historic Places in September of 2019 and is the only building in Kaysville on that list that is not a personal residence.  Over the last several years, the City has been unwilling to engage in any real conversation or effort to save this building.  They are unwilling to let it be used as is, nor are they willing to look at ways to preserve it for the future.  The city is proposing a "RAMP" tax in this upcoming election but apparently it will only be an "RP" tax as they do not intend to save this historic building that was once promised by the City to be used as a Museum and a place to showcase the Arts.  This is a building worth saving!  Please help!