The proposal didn't pass on Nov. 4, but supporters of a new Natrona County Library aren't giving up on their dream yet.

Library Board President Chris Mullen and Director Bill Nelson asked the Natrona County Board of Commissioners to approve an extension on the option for the land originally slated for the library project.

The contract with the landowner, Casper Redevelopment Company LLC, expired Monday. An extension would allow for additional time to rework the plan and find other possible funding for the project.

"As trustees, we work for you, and I just wanted to touch base and find out what you would like us to do next," Mullen said. "If the commissioners wish for us to continue, we work for you and we'll do that."

Voters rejected a temporary sixth-cent sales tax that would have funded the new library project. Although exact reasons for the project's demise aren't known, Nelson said, misconceptions about the temporary tax and the failing national economy were the most likely reasons for otherwise undecided voters.

But Mullen doesn't want too much time to pass before the library board moves forward with the project.

"There's obviously a lot of knowledge in the community," he said. "There's some misinformation in the community, but there's some thought on the board that if we delay, we're losing the momentum with the 48 percent [of Natrona County voters] who did say yes [to the proposal]."

The county isn't in a financial position to buy the land and hold it, but the land option extension won't cost the county any money, so the down side to signing the agreement is minimal, he said. The commission agreed, but added that the slated piece of property isn't the only one available in town.

"I really appreciate and support the board going back and relooking at everything," Commissioner Barb Peryam said. "I would hope that you might not be wedded to the current plan, not be wedded to the current site, but to take into account some of the other things that did come up."

The property, an 8.8-acre lot located between the North Platte River, First Street and downtown Casper, is the former site of American Pipeyard. The price of the land - about $3.8 million - was a much-debated topic before election day.

"I looked at all the different properties available and thought this was the best," Mullen explained. "I don't know where we're going to find a better site. And they [the property owners] would like to see a library on this location."

Randy Hall, a local Realtor and one of the partners in Casper Redevelopment Co., said the library project would be good for the Old Yellowstone District, an area near downtown slated by the city for redevelopment.

"We feel very strongly in the course that Bill Nelson has plotted for the library and all the studies they have done. We believe we need a library, and there aren't very many parcels large enough to accommodate one," Hall said. "We strongly favor the library."

Despite commercial interest in the property, the company is willing to extend the purchase option an additional two months so the board can try to find money to buy the property.

"We are giving the county as wide a net as possible to see if there's any scenario under which they might be able to use the property for the county library," Hall said, adding that as the process continues, the purchase price of the land could be renegotiated.

Due to time constraints, the commissioners agreed to sign the extension in advance and ratify it later.

Per the agreement, the land will be held for 60 days, until Jan. 31, at which time the commissioners and library board members will decide whether to move forward.

The commissioners will officially approve the agreement at their next regular meeting, at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 16 at the County Annex building, 120 W. First St.

Star-Tribune staff writer Christine Robinson contributed to this report. Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0616 or megan.lee@trib.com.