The Natrona County Public Library Foundation set a course for the library's future when it bought 5.4 acres in the Old Yellowstone District last week, the foundation's board president said Wednesday.

"The ultimate goal was, 'Let's lock this up,'" John Masterson said.

The purchase at American Pipeyard, 435 W. First St., happened a year after county voters turned down a temporary sixth-cent sales tax proposal to raise about $43.3 million for land, construction and other costs to replace the building at 307 E. Second Street.

If voters had approved the measure, the library would have purchased 8.8 acres at the American Pipeyard site from the Casper Redevelopment Co. LLC -- a group of investors including businessmen Mick McMurry and Randy Hall -- for about $3.8 million.

Two weeks after the election, the Casper Redevelopment Co. approached the library's board of trustees about an offer of land at the same site. The trustees then went to the foundation, which negotiated the offer earlier in the year and raised the money for the purchase, Masterson said.

The foundation has assisted the library with small projects such as adding to the collection of materials, he said.

But the foundation could not ignore such a large offer, Masterson said. "We were given a chance to get a piece of property that is environmentally sound and sufficient to serve the needs of Natrona County."

Masterson declined to reveal the purchase price but said, "The price that the foundation paid is very favorable price to the cost of land in that area."

While it now owns the land, the foundation still will need to pay property taxes and insurance, he said.

The library does not have plans for a new building at this time, said library trustee board president Charlie Robertson.

But securing the land will help in future fundraising and seeking money from county residents, Masterson said.

State law outlines the process for establishing libraries, including county commissioners appointing trustees to oversee their operations and having counties pay for them.

While the foundation scored a victory by raising the money to buy the land, it will not be able to raise the kind of money needed for new construction, Masterson said.

The Natrona County Public Library has been a victim of its own success with constantly increasing materials circulation and public traffic, in large part because of the work of Director Bill Nelson, Masterson said.

But that success has occurred in a building that has not changed in its size since 1970, he said.

So the taxpayers will need to own responsibilities at some point to pay for the institution that epitomizes a public building that offers free and open service to anyone, Masterson said.

A public library also represents a commitment to a community's literacy, education and children, he said.

With the land issue resolved, Natrona County is better positioned to build a new library, Masterson said. "There will come a time, and we'll be ready."

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at tom.morton@trib.com. Read his blog at tribtown.trib.com/TomMorton/blog