Wichita Mayor Lily Wu is proposing a new use for the former downtown library building.

The Mayor’s State of the City Address was delivered Sunday in the former library, and she noted that the building has been vacant for almost seven years, since the 2018 opening of the  Advanced Learning Library at 2nd and McLean.   Mayor Wu said the city has considered other uses for the building, but none of them have been realistic.   She said during the address, “When I look at this building, I see a new police headquarters and possibly other tenants.”

The Mayor said use of the building as a new police headquarters would restore a great public asset and put officers closer to a critical part of the city.

The Police Department now occupies three floors of the City Hall building, and the Mayor said that space could be the location for Sedgwick County administrative offices.   The county has moved administrative offices to the Ruffin Building downtown, but county leaders have been looking at more permanent options that include the construction of a new building.   Mayor Wu said City Hall would be a more economical option, and she said moving county offices into the building would align with a goal of shared services, improving government efficiency, fostering stronger collaboration and providing for easier coordination between city and county departments.

City Council member Maggie Ballard voiced opposition to the idea in a post on social media, saying “Our old library is a great community asset that has been part of a larger conversation about activating our riverfront for years. We’ve had a huge amount of community discussion about how to elevate our performing arts center and convention space to attract more economic opportunity along our river. The Mayor’s proposal (Sunday) night would take us in a totally different direction with no public engagement.”