Investors interested in bidding on the Swan Creek branch of the Tacoma Public Library building have approximately one more month to make a decision.

On Friday, the City of Tacoma revised its Request For Proposal (RFP) after its original asking price of $400,000 garnered no bidders.

“While the City did not receive any proposals for the original RFP, the City did receive feedback from potential proposers,” wrote staffers on the City of Tacoma’s Web site. “This feedback cited concerns with the minimum bid amount and certain terms of the RFP. As a result, this new RFP has been changed to include a reduced minimum bid amount of $300,000, more opportunities for potential buyers to perform due diligence, and the City’s willingness to warrant title and address certain environmental concerns.”

The proposals are due July 24. A copy of the new RFP is available online here. More information is online here. A legal notice was published Friday in the Tacoma Daily Index.

The City of Tacoma opened the doors to the Swan Creek branch, located at 3828 East Portland Avenue, for two days in April so prospective bidders could conduct site reviews. The City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Public Library Board have said they are looking for more than just the highest bidder. They want someone who will use the property in ways that benefit the surrounding communities. The proposals will be scored with that factor in mind.

In January, Conor McCarthy, assistant division manager in Tacoma’s public works department, told Tacoma City Council’s Public Safety, Human Services and Education Committee three parties inquired about the Swan Creek branch, and two parties submitted written interest. At the time, the Puyallup Tribe wanted to expand its governmental operations and house its historical department and museum. Nearby Fellowship Bible Church wanted to buy back the property and use it for church and outreach services.

In 1984, Tacoma paid Fellowship Bible Church $37,500 for the property on which to build the Swan Creek Branch, which cost $743,000 to construct, including $42,114 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. Tacoma also paid the church $11,000 in 1988 to acquire land for the library’s parking lot. The library opened in 1989. In 2012, the assessed value totaled approximately $723,400. However, the Swan Creek branch building has approximately $450,000 in deferred maintenance: the roof and ventilation system need to be replaced, and exterior walls and windows must be repaired. The Library Board estimates it will cost approximately $18,400 this year for insurance, security, utilities, and landscaping related to the vacant building and property. An in-house estimate values the property somewhere between $260,000 and $430,000.

Meanwhile, the City of Tacoma is poised to sell the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) branch of the Tacoma Public Library, located at 1902 South Cedar Street, for $700,000 to a local doctor who plans to use the site as a non-profit medical center. If approved by Tacoma City Council later this month, Doctor Thomas Lizotte plans to turn the building into the Diabetic Foot Health Resource Center to provide care for individuals with diabetes who are at risk for limb-loss and provide prosthetic limbs for amputees.

The Swan Creek Library branch and the MLK Library branch were closed in January 2011 due to budget shortfalls.

Earlier Tacoma Daily Index coverage here and here and here.