Dorie Rae Gallagher wrote:
I say keep the Walker! It would be nice to still have the old building and perhaps work with both. ... I do not believe this move is about the library. I believe it is more about getting that piece of prime real estate.
Got it in one.
The council, the mayor, and the CLIC committee have all been insisting that the library needs to cut. They have said so without the least understanding of how libraries work. The accepted notion seems to be that a city should have a monumental showplace for a downtown library. The board signaled so before the last election--they ran on a new downtown library with concomitant passage of a $140 million referendum--with only $30 million of that thrown as a bone to regional and community libraries and library functions. The library board would not have done that much for community libraries had not Mayor Sales Belton and council members not forcefully insisted.
The Walker is perhaps the best located library from the patrons point of view with several bus lines stopping within a stone's throw in the middle of a destination node.
The library, having been stripped of $4 million from a tiny $22 million budget, is forced into understanding that some libraries are, as far as the city is concerned, not as important as playing with the concept of a mixed use building. (I believe Council Nijellik [sp.] tossed that into the hat.)
However, IMO, libraries, being an institution, are like city hall, the county building, or the federal building. You don't put housing above them, sandwich in a dress shop beside them, insert the office for getting one's driving license, or add a clinic.
The library has to raise money somewhere to keep from coming to a grinding halt. Next year, public outcry or not, I'm willing to bet some libraries will close. The library, board and staff, are only one quarter of the problem created by board, city, state, and voters.
What remedies does anyone suggest? if I'm not mistaken, the library can only divest itself of the old Walker if the buyer agrees not to mess with its historical integrity. Personally, I'd be grateful to anyone who has a way out of this mess, because our library system is being destroyed by the choices we have before us.
WizardMarks, Central
________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
REMINDERS:
1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
