Refurbished at a cost of nearly $1.7 million, the historic Goodman Library on First Street sits empty while the city and the Napa County Historical Society wrangle over expanded public access.

After investing so much public money for seismic upgrades and remodeling, the city wants guarantees the First Street landmark -- listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings -- will be open at least 20 hours week.

The society's old schedule of just eight hours a week won't cut it, City Councilman Kevin Block told society officials last week.

The Napa City Council considered Tuesday letting the historical society move back into the restored Goodman Library while future negotiations established new services and hours of operation.

Promises of expanded operation weren't good enough, the council decided. The council voted to keep the society out of the building until these issues are nailed down and put into a revised lease running through 2030.

"This is an important asset for the people of the city that has been woefully underutilized," Block said.

The council's hard-line stance startled society officials who had hoped to begin moving in immediately. "I'm a little bit surprised at this point," Robin Hart, society president, told the council.

The society and the city share the same goals, said Kristie Sheppard, the society's new executive director. The society, temporarily in an office at 1545 Second Street, is committed to establishing a more robust presence downtown, she said.

The conflict is whether the society should commit to specific hours and programs in the lease, she said.

"The city's concerns are legitimate. They are perfectly legitimate," she said. "But we are not supported by a full-time staff. We can't guarantee these hours."

Mr. Goodman's bequest

The society has been operating a historical archive and research center in the Goodman Library since 1976 under a rent-free agreement with the city. The lease runs until 2030.

The original lease did not specify hours of operation. In recent years, the society has been open just two afternoons a week.

The society moved out two years ago so that seismic work could begin. At the same time, negotiations began on a revised lease that would commit the society to more hours and activities.

The stone building was built in 1901 by banker George Goodman, who donated it to the city with the condition that it be a public library. The building served as the city's main library for most of the 20th century.

When the new Napa City-County Library was built, the city determined that having the historical society maintain a research library would satisfy the terms of George Goodman's bequest.

During last week's council discussion, Councilman Harry Martin said the city should be careful not to drive the historical society away. If the property ceased to become a library, Goodman's heirs could try to reclaim the building, he said.

Unless the society ramps up hours, the heirs could make the same claim, Block said.

Seeking volunteers

While negotiations with the city continue, the society is working to expand its volunteer base and raise money for expanded operations, Sheppard said.

The society wants to be open four hours each afternoon, Tuesday through Saturday, and one Sunday a month, she said. Also in the works are new programs for kids, an oral history project and a partnership with the Napa Valley Museum to mount rotating exhibits on local history, she said.

The main room on the first floor, originally set aside for men's billiards, would accommodate displays and community functions. The original tea room, which closed decades ago, would be reopened for afternoon refreshments, Sheppard said.

The crux of the society's recent problems has been a small base of volunteers, Sheppard said. While the society has nearly 400 members, only 12 work regularly to staff public hours, she said.

Sheppard, who has a master's degree in museum studies from the University of Leicester in England, cited her hiring this summer as proof that the society is serious about expanding its public presence downtown. She is the society's first full-time, paid executive director.

The society is organizing a major fundraiser to celebrate its move back to the Goodman Library, Sheppard said. Funds are needed for new shelving and other fixtures.

As part of efforts to bring aboard more volunteers, the society is sponsoring internships this semester for two Napa Valley College history students, Sheppard said.

In a related matter, the Napa Valley Museum, now in a building near the Lincoln Theater on the grounds of the Veterans Home in Yountville, is negotiating with the city to use city-owned parking lots behind the Goodman Library on Second Street for a down valley expansion.

The Napa Valley Museum will begin fundraising for the new facility once rights to the site are worked out, said Gordon Huether, president of the museum's board of directors.

The council set no date for the next discussion of the historical society's return to the Goodman Library.

In the meantime, the society has ceased public hours at its temporary home. The society had hoped to begin moving into the Goodman Library this month and reopen in January, Sheppard said.

The city received a $312,000 federal earthquake grant to seismically strengthen the Goodman Library. Most of the rehab money came from the city's redevelopment agency, which receives property tax revenues from downtown.