Speakers ask commissioners to keep library in Sylva

By Lynn Hotaling

After almost 90 minutes of listening to reasons why a shared facility on a community college campus would be ideal, all but four speakers at last Thursday's (May 22) public hearing asked county officials to keep the public library in Sylva.

Last week's session opened with informational presentations outlining the benefits of building a new library on the Southwestern Community College campus that would serve both as the SCC library and the Jackson County Public Library. (See related story on page 1A.)

At the conclusion of the hearing, Commissioners' Chairman Stacy Buchanan said he and other commissioners would vote during their Tuesday, June 3, budget hearing on whether to move the shared-library project forward by allocating $50,000 for engineering, consulting and architectural fees.

Some 36 of the 160 in attendance offered comment during the hearing. Though speakers were asked to limit their comments to 3 minutes each, most exceeded that limit, and the hearing continued past 10 p.m.

Speakers in favor of keeping the public library in Sylva included lifelong residents and area newcomers, library professionals and library users, former elected officials, children, writers, business owners as well as Sylva's mayor and members of its town board, and representatives of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Sylva Partners in Renewal.

Their opposition to the shared library centered around concern that the missions of a public and an academic library would conflict, accessibility for children and the elderly would be hampered if the public library is on a college campus and the negative impact there would be on Sylva's revitalization efforts if the library is moved.

Three spoke in favor of the move to SCC, and one, Laura Pennington, expressed her opinion that it didn't have to be an "either-or" decision. "I've heard either downtown or not; either the elderly and children or college students; either friendly or not; either a vibrant downtown or a ghost town. Very little in life is either-or. A lot of study has been done; lots of opportunities exist for further discussion," Pennington said. Most who spoke offered more definite opinions.

Sylva Mayor Brenda Oliver urged commissioners to reconsider, calling the public library one of Sylva's most important facilities. Most libraries are in county seats, and Sylva officials have spent a lot of money (Streetscape, improvements to the swimming pool and new playground at Poteet Park) to improve the county seat in ways the entire county can enjoy.

"To take the library from downtown would be a blow," Oliver said. "I've had no one - no one - say they think the library should be moved; many have said they want it to stay."

Town board members Maurice Moody and Audrey Tritt echoed the mayor.

Tritt pointed out that town officials had always contributed to the library's operating expenses.

"We'd just like the commissioners to listen," she said. "We'll help any way we can."

Moody, who said he was "concerned" when he heard people say the facility is a county library and Sylva doesn't contribute, put a price tag on improvements the town has made by pointing to some $1.8 million the town of Sylva has spent over the past five years to improve the town's appearance, pool, park, fire protection and parking. The majority of the people who enjoy these improvements don't live downtown, he said.

"Both the town and county governments have a responsibility to the county seat," Moody said. "The point is simply to say that the town of Sylva does its share and more to make Sylva a better place to live, work and play. If the library is moved, it will hurt Sylva, hurt Jackson County, and, in the long run, hurt the community."

Odell Thompson advised the commissioners of SPIR's objection to moving the library away from downtown Sylva based on the organization's concern that moving the library would have a negative economic impact on Sylva and retard revitalization efforts already under way.

"Downtowns thrive with a mix of activities. Sylva is unique, which is one of the reasons it was selected a Main Street Town," Thompson said. "Our goals are to restore (the downtown area) and continue to grow wisely. We are faced with the risk of one of our most positive institutions vacating downtown. The advantages of moving the library can't outweigh the disadvantages of taking it out of downtown." Speaking on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, former Commissioner Jay Coward acknowledged the difficulty of finding a solution that would please everyone and bemoaned the lack of open discussion about plans for the library.

"We have had more public debate about how long our coon dogs could bark than we have about this library," he said. After urging commissioners to postpone a decision because they haven't had enough public input, Coward read a Chamber resolution asking that a decision on the library not be rushed but studied further. City Lights owner Joyce Moore, spokesman for the recently formed group Keep Our Library Downtown, has a degree in library science. She called the commissioners' attention to some 2,700 signatures the group has collected on a petition asking the library stay in Sylva.

"Libraries are not just about books, magazines, computers and parking spaces," she said. The petition was signed by 2,700 people, many of whom voted for you and put their trust in you. These 2,700 people want you to reconsider. I hope you will listen to them."

Many who spoke were from Sylva, but residents of Canada, Glenville, Whittier, Cullowhee, Webster and Scotts Creek communities also asked commissioners to keep the library in the county seat.

Several expressed the opinion that the plan to combine the two libraries on the SCC campus was a violation of public trust because the task force proposing the move was made up only of Fontana Regional Library and SCC employees and because of the lack of public debate.

"Whether real or perceived, the vast majority of citizens feel disenfranchised," said the Rev. John Bunn, a former mayor of Sylva.

Commissioners were asking for input in the "11th hour," Bunn said. "We feel we've been taken advantage of - that's why we're here."

Soul Infusion owner Jason Kimenker, chairman of the Sustainable Business Community, said there should have been more community involvement in the library discussions and wondered at the composition of a task force that included only employees of the two agencies involved.

"Trust is involved, and that trust has been violated," Kimenker said. "I hope the decision has not already been made - this is the first time the public has been allowed to speak."

WCU professor Newton Smith also questioned the process that led to plans to combine the library, saying he was "stunned" to hear that commissioners planned to move the library.

"We don't have all the information here," he said. "Where have the people's voices been?"

Smith also pointed to the composition of the task force that made the recommendation, saying that a broader committee with community representation was supplanted by one with only library and SCC employees.

Smith said he was also disturbed when he read in a local newspaper (Smoky Mountain News) that one commissioner said he'd already made up his mind to move the library.

"In 1913, the county seat was moved from Webster to Sylva; it sounds like (the commissioners) want to move it back," Smith said. "The last time I spoke at a meeting like this, the commissioners had already made up their minds to build the (Jackson County) Airport. I spoke against it. We've been paying for it ever since."

Professional engineer Don Schuller said that while there are "technical reasons" to move the library, there are "human reasons" not to. "We certainly shouldn't move anything else out of Sylva," Schuller said. "The library could be expanded up, right where it is. I know it's feasible because I'm an engineer."

Author Sue Ellen Bridgers said a shared-use facility, much like the unusual design of Fairview School, which has required extensive modification, is an unproved experiment she would rather Jackson County's library not be part of.

"We are the library's patrons and your constituency," Bridgers said. "I urge you to listen."

Three children offered their views on why the library belongs downtown.

"My mom, my sister and I go to the library. We walk around, we eat lunch - it's an adventure," said Madeline Seagle. "I've gone to the SCC library. It's OK, but it's not my library. Even if a library at SCC had neat stuff for kids, it would just be a trip to the library, not a downtown adventure."

Joey Baker said he thought the old courthouse would be a good place for a library, and Scotts Creek fifth-grader Stormy DeLucia said a library at SCC "just wouldn't feel right."

Three speakers were in favor of moving the county library to SCC. They were Mark Jamison, chairman of the Jackson County Smart Growth task force, Bill Lyons and former Webster town board member Louise Bedford.

Jamison said the library is a county library, and that while Sylva is part of Jackson County, Jackson County is more than Sylva. "Commissioners must act in a fiscally responsible manner," Jamison said. "This was not done in secret. It was done at public meetings. Just because you didn't go doesn't mean it was done in secret."

Jamison urged commissioners to continue with plans for a joint library.

Bedford agreed.

"I think SCC's offer is something we'd be smart to take advantage of. I urge the commissioners to continue with plans (to move the library)," she said.

Commissioners' Chairman Buchanan said Tuesday that he thought last week's hearing was "a very good meeting" and that the concept presented by him, Fontana Regional Library Director Gail Findlay, SCC President Cecil Groves and Jackson County librarian Michael Cartwright "should have addressed a lot of rumors. It was a good opportunity to hear the public and how they feel about the current library staying downtown."

KOLD spokesman Moore said last week's session raised a number of issues she'd like to ask more questions about and said she hopes the commissioners won't rush to a decision. She questioned the validity of acting solely on the recommendation of a task force made up of employees of groups (SCC, Fontana Regional Library) that have a "vested interest" in building a shared library. Recommendations from an earlier task force that included community members were dismissed without site studies, Moore said.

"I hope (commissioners) slow down and don't throw money at this issue until we've had a chance to talk about it some more," Moore said. "If they spend $50,000 for a feasibility study, what does that prove? Of course they can build a library there. But they should wait until they have a mandate from the people before spending that $50,000."

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