|
By Lynn Hotaling
Members of a task force appointed to study the feasibility of
a joint-use library facility want citizen input, and they would
like to have it by next week.
During an Oct. 28 organizational meeting, the five members of
the Joint Library Task Force began work on a survey aimed at gathering
input from the community. A subcommittee finalized the questions
Oct. 30, and the entire survey is printed on page 3A in this edition
of The Sylva Herald.
Task force members hope county residents will take time to cut
out the survey, fill it out and mail it to Library Task Force,
Jackson County Justice Center, Room 205, 401 Grindstaff Cove Rd.,
Sylva, N.C. 28779, or drop it by the Friends of the Library Book
Store on Main Street by Wednesday, Nov. 12, said Joe Rossano,
chairman.
"We want to hear from anyone who uses libraries," Rossano
said. "We want to hear from all the citizens of Jackson County,
regardless of age.
"The more public input we receive, the better job this task
force can do to meet all the needs of all the citizens,"
he said.
Rossano acknowledged that the time frame for completing the surveys
was tight, but he said task force members needed to have time
to compile the results prior to a planned Monday, Nov. 17, community
meeting.
That session will be conducted in a question-and-answer format
and will be designed to "educate citizens of Jackson County
about what the task force is about," Rossano said. It will
not be a forum for individual citizens to express their views,
he said.
Controversy erupted last spring after the unveiling of Commissioners'
Chairman Stacy Buchanan's proposal to relocate the Jackson County
Public Library from downtown Sylva to a shared facility with Southwestern
Community College to be located on the SCC campus. Speakers at
a May 22 public hearing who opposed the move indicated they had
gathered 2,700 signatures on a petition that asked commissioners
to keep the library downtown.
Commissioners in June allocated $50,000 for a feasibility study
to determine if the proposed site is suitable for a joint-use
facility and subsequently appointed the task force to further
investigate the matter.
The task force survey invites citizens to indicate how often they
use a public library and whether they would feel comfortable using
a library housed on a college campus. It also asks how community
members feel a library should look and what (books, computers,
children's activities, cultural events) people would like to see
more of in the library.
In introducing the survey, task force members state:
"It is important to note that the construction of the proposed
joint library will not mean that the library in downtown Sylva
will be eliminated. A public library is a vital and necessary
part of a greater community because it provides free access to
information, learning resources, cultural advancement and great
literature.
"We are seeking your help in the decision-making process."
Though initial discussions of a joint-use library facility at
SCC hinged on eliminating the downtown library, Buchanan in June
proposed a "tri-library service area" that would have
county libraries in Sylva, Cashiers and on the SCC campus.
A key component of that plan, however, was a $55,000 annual contribution
from the town of Sylva toward the downtown library, but Sylva
Vice Mayor Audrey Tritt said at the time she didn't think town
officials, who in May went on record in support of keeping the
library in Sylva, could allocate that much.
Commissioners to date have not voted on the tri-library proposal;
Buchanan indicated June 17 that any action on the plan would have
to wait for a recommendation from the Joint Library Task Force.
The Joint Library Task Force will next meet Monday, Nov. 10, at
noon at the Justice Center.
The Nov. 17 community meeting will be at the Justice Center at
7 p.m. in Courtroom 2.
Task force members plan to meet twice monthly through March, with
Tuesday meetings from noon to 2 p.m. at the Justice Center. Meetings
are scheduled for Nov. 25, Dec. 9, Jan. 6, Jan. 20, Feb. 3, Feb.
17, March 2 and March 16.
|
